8:30 a.m.
Chairman's Welcome
Michael O'Leary, Chairman of the AEA Board of Directors

Michael O’Leary has served on the AEA board of directors since 1996, first as secretary, and since 2002, as chairman. In 1998, Michael was honored as AEA’s Member of the Year. O’Leary is an avionics sales manager with Midcoast Aviation, Cahokia, Ill.

8:45 a.m.
President's State of the Association Address
Paula Derks, AEA President

Paula R. Derks began her career in 1979 with the Aircraft Electronics Association as managing editor of the association’s monthly publication, Avionics News.  In 1996, she became president of the AEA. Under her leadership, the association has grown internationally in Europe and the South Pacific regions, has opened a full time office in Washington, D.C., a satellite office in Cologne, Germany, and has increased membership by more than 30 percent. Paula received a B.S. in public relations with a minor in journalism from University of Central Missouri. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Aviation Accreditation Board International. She is a member of the Aviation Advisory Council for University of Central Missouri, a board member of the Central Missouri Aviation Development Corp., and serves on the General Aviation Coalition.

9:00 a.m.
Keynote Speech
Jack Pelton, Cessna Chairman, President and CEO

Jack J. Pelton is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. company that is the leading worldwide manufacturer of general aviation aircraft. Pelton, a native of California, has more than three decades of aviation experience. Owing to his position as leader of the world’s largest general aviation manufacturing company, Pelton has become active in helping formulate national policy on general aviation, and is frequently called on to testify before Congress and other government agencies on industry issues.

Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation
Recipient - Robert Carpenter, Carpenter Avionics Owner and President

Longtime AEA member, Bob Carpenter is being recognized by the AEA board of directors as the recipient of the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Carpenter began his avionics career in 1958, working for Tradewind Airport Corp. in its radio shop. Throughout the years, Carpenter climbed the ladder of success in a variety of roles in avionics businesses in Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, and finally, in Tennessee. He and his wife, Fran, opened Carpenter Avionics in the early 1980s. Today, the company has grown to a 22-staff repair station, and the shop has been the recipient of numerous recognitions. In 1990, his fellow AEA members honored Carpenter as the AEA Member of the Year. He was featured as a cover profile in the May 1992 edition of FBO Magazine. And, in 2006, he received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award from the FAA.