Charter member John Dorcey of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, took the helm of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) on Monday, Jan. 5, as interim Executive Director, succeeding long-time executive director Doug Stewart, who announced his retirement in November.
Dorcey, 64, will serve until a new executive director is selected.
“We’re so appreciative of John’s willingness to lead SAFE as it starts a new year with a growing membership, new initiatives and new programs,” said SAFE Board of Directors Chair Donna Wilt. “His experience will continue to serve our members well.”
The new interim executive director holds an FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificate and is a flight instructor, both certificates with single, multiengine and instrument ratings. He served as Operations Manager for Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh until his retirement in 2012. Previously, he was Chief Pilot for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Chief Instructor for that agency’s FAA-approved Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics.
In the past 22 years, Dorcey has also worked with public school educators in Wisconsin to encourage aviation as a career for young people, producing career fairs for high school students, adapting aviation concepts for elementary school children and presenting aviation career instruction at teacher summer workshops.
Dorcey has been involved with SAFE since the organization was founded in 2009, serving as a board member from 2009 to 2013 and was vice chair in 2012 and chair in 2013.