March 6, 2017 – Bowman Field, Lousiville, KY (KLOU) - The National Air and Space Education Institute has announced that former U.S. Naval aviator Will Fortune has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer. In late February, with an overwhelming "yes" vote from the board, Commander Will Fortune joined the National Air+Space Education Institute as CEO. Will is a former Naval aviator, who left the service after ten plus years of active duty. Since then, he has worked for acquisitions for the Navy and returned to active duty to support the U.S. special operation forces in Afghanistan. He has been a VP for a marketing company, and selected by the Mayor of Lexington to be his Director of Project Management. He still drills as a Commander in the Navy Reserves.
Because of his background, Will believes in the military's philosophy of leadership. He feels that a leader's purpose is to enable his/her team as they set out to accomplish the mission at hand. He told the staff “While I am your CEO, I will expend all my energy to lead from the front, but I will depend on you to do what is necessary to execute our objectives and ensure our success. It is clear to me that everyone (staff and volunteers) is dedicated to NASEI's mission and we will not fail."
Will has a BS in History from Davidson College and an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.
Please join us in welcoming Will and his family at our "BBQ Fly-In at the Hangar” on Saturday, March 25, Hangar 7 Bowman Field from 11:30 until 2:00 p.m.
The mission of the National Air and Space Education Institute is to introduce students to career opportunities within the aerospace industry and provide and support an aerospace curriculum that can be adopted by any high school wanting to offer a state approved STEM career path.
The National Air+Space Education Institute is a non-profit 501c3 corporation serving over 800 high school students in 37 schools in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. For more information about our program, please visit our website http://www.airandspace-ed.org or contact us at our headquarters at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky.
