AOPA members elect new trustees
'We need to rebuild your trust'
AOPA's leaders briefed members on what is likely to become the most significant change to the association's governance in its history and listened to their feedback during a two-hour annual meeting May 12 in Frederick, Maryland.
At the conclusion of the meeting, 177 assembled members and their designated proxies voted overwhelmingly to elect two new trustees to the (currently) 11-member board, giving each trustee (including incumbents) a one-year term to oversee the organization's ongoing governance and leadership transformation that has included the removal of a president and election of six new board members since 2023. The two newest trustees, Peter Burwell and Ryan Samples, were introduced by Chairman Luke Wippler, a trustee since 2015 who was elected chairman of the board in March.
AOPA General Counsel Fernando Campoamor, a former federal prosecutor and longtime pilot who joined the AOPA staff in February, described the potential governance overhaul.
“There are seven potential changes that have been outlined, and those are the things that were perhaps most essential for all of us to focus on,” said Campoamor. “We did this fairly quickly in the past eight weeks. But there is more that can clearly be done, and so when you’re thinking about commenting on what we should be doing or thinking about, not only think about the things that we have proposed, but also think about what else you think needs to happen so that it can be considered by the board.”
Wippler joined Campoamor and acting Co-Presidents Katie Pribyl and Jill Baker at the front of the room, and the leadership team gave members an hourlong presentation on AOPA's current and future state. This included a financial overview, as well as details about ongoing efforts to grow membership and advocate on members’ behalf on Capitol Hill, to safeguard freedom to fly, and to protect airports around the country. The entire meeting was recorded on video and posted online for members to view.
“This is a game of inches, I want to be clear,” said Wippler. “We need all of our stakeholders pulling in the right direction. I recognize that we need to rebuild your trust.”
Wippler was referring to the board's decision announced in February to part ways with former President Darren Pleasance, a move that drew sharp criticism from members, including many of the 17 who spoke during the meeting. Among them was warbird pilot Doug Rozendaal, who was inducted in the Commemorative Air Force Hall of Fame in 2025 and who has been one of the outspoken critics of the board’s decision.
“In the past eight weeks I’ve been pretty critical and had a lot of conversations both directly and indirectly with you, Luke… as I’ve been critical, I’m here to be supportive,” said Rozendaal. “You guys have listened in the last eight weeks and implemented much of the suggestions that we gave you and I am incredibly appreciative of that, and optimistic.”
Members voted to elect all 11 board members on the slate of trustee candidates to a one-year term, including the board’s newest members, Burwell and Samples.
Burwell has been an AOPA member for more than 15 years, and flies both fixed-wing and rotorcraft. His aircraft of choice are a Cessna Skywagon for weekend flying and a Beechcraft Baron when he flies for business. He leads Burwell Enterprises, a family-owned diversified holding company, alongside his two brothers.
Samples has been a member of AOPA for nearly 30 years and earned his private pilot certificate while in high school. He currently flies a Beechcraft V35 Bonanza, a CubCrafters Carbon Cub, an Icon A5, and a Cessna Citation CJ4. He founded BankOnIT in 2003, building it into one of the country’s leading providers of private cloud and IT infrastructure for community banks, and is a passionate advocate for bringing young people into flying.
“I value transparency, which for me means honesty and directness,” said Wippler. “We won’t always agree, but we’ll know where each other stands. I value optimism. I think that all of us in the room here today can agree that general aviation needs a strong AOPA… Everyone will be heard.”
Rozendaal, after addressing his initial remarks to Wippler and the senior leaders at the front of the room, turned to face fellow members:
“These guys can’t do it alone, okay? We’ve all read our friends and say, ‘I’m done with AOPA.’ We have to go out on a mission because they cannot turn this ship around on their own. We’ve got to go back and convince people. The damage that’s been done is incredible.”
Rozendaal continued, “All of us are passionate or we wouldn’t be here. We have to go home and we have to convince our friends and neighbors to rejoin, turn on their auto renewals, get involved, hold these guys accountable, pick up the phone and call them, and either pat ’em on the back or kick ’em in the ass, and get this show on the road. I’m committed to do that.”
Rozendaal warned fellow members that GA as we know it is at risk without a strong AOPA: “Never in my lifetime, in my aviation career, which is essentially my lifetime, has our industry been under more attack than it’s under today. Hundred low-lead, ADS-B fee harvesting, all of the things. We’re under huge attack, and we’ve got to fight like hell to fix it, so it’s really up to us.”
Reached by phone after the meeting, Rozendaal described his takeaway: “I am very encouraged by the start of what appears to be a dramatic culture change within AOPA. There’s an incredible amount of work to be done and it’s hard work and it’s difficult work … we have got to, as members, get behind that process,” Rozendaal said. “I am optimistic that we can achieve that based on the humility and the sincerity that I saw demonstrated yesterday.”
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