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AHLFA Officers & Board of Directors

Mike Pearce - Chairman Emeritus

Mike has been a pilot with American Airlines since 1986, he is currently Check Airman on the Boeing 777. Since his solo at sixteen Mike has logged 20,000 flight hours and is Type Rated in the MD-80, B-757, B-767 and B-777. He is a Certified Flight Instructor - Airplane, Instrument and Multi-Engine. Before moving to Aspen, he co-founded the Fisher Island Day School and was the school's former President in Miami, FL. He is also the Founding Partner and of TeachAde.com, the first social networking website designed specifically for educators.

Jeff Posey - Chairman

Jeff Posey is the CEO/ President of Genesis Energy Ventures and is also President of the Board for 316 Aviation which leases airplanes to hospitals for non-profit medical care. Jeff has been a pilot for 23 years and has his multi-engine instrument rating . Jeff is Alumnus of University of Alabama and has lived in Aspen for over 11 years with his wife Elizabeth Slossberg.

Andrew Doremus - Vice President - Flight

Andrew's flying spans over 40 years, starting in the Aspen Valley. He worked his way up from a private pilot here in Aspen by flying for Gliders of Aspen doing scenic flights, then as a flight instructor and charter pilot for Tailwinds Aviation here in ASE. Next, Andrew was the first Chief Pilot for Aspen Aviation. He moved on from there to Aspen Airways / United Express flying the Convar 580 and British Aerospace 146. After 8 years and a change in the airline industry, he found himself starting a charter company in Rifle, that turned into a FBO and charter company that he owned and operated for a number of years. The opportunity came to sell and make the next step. He went to work for Mountain Aviation as a charter pilot, flying a number of different corporate jets for them for 10 years. Andrew is thrilled to be able to offer assistance to this program.

John Ward - Vice President - Finance

John Ward is the Mountain Region President of ANB Bank, a privately held Colorado headquartered bank. John brings over 20 years of community banking experience, knowledge, and strong leadership to the board. Before becoming regional president, John was the community bank president of ANB Bank's Aspen branch. John holds his bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and attended the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.
John is committed to serving his community through his involvement with various non-profit organizations and activities. Besides serving on the Aspen Flight Academy board, he is a past president of the Aspen Rotary Club, Currently the president of the Aspen Fire Protection District's Board of Directors, past chairman of the Aspen Pitkin County Housing Authority Board of Directors, and is also a board member of the Aspen Lacrosse Club.
John has been committed to the flight academy since aiding in the academy's first aircraft purchase. He sees the program as an incredible asset to the Aspen Community and its students. Providing an opportunity for real growth, development, inspiration and confidence to every student it comes in contact with from any economic background. It also provides a natural path to a career for those students who want to take on the challenge.

Hal Dishler - Vice President - General Counsel

Hal Dishler is the Aspen, Colorado Partner at the law firm of Overturf McGath & Hull P.C. of Denver, Colorado. Prior to joining OMH Hal was, for many years, a partner at the law firm of Kaufman, Dishler & McAllister, P.C. Before that he practiced law in Fort Collins, Colorado and was in-house counsel to two companies located in Denver, Colorado and in Houston, Texas. Hal’s primary areas of practice are real estate, oil & gas, business transactions, corporations and financing matters. Hal earned his JD from the University of Houston, BA (with distinction in economics) and MBA from the University of Colorado. He is licensed to practice law in Colorado and Texas and has his Colorado Broker license (as an Employing Broker). Hal has an avid interest in aviation with his Private Pilot Certificate Airplane Single Engine with Instrument rating.

Bill White - Secretary/Treasurer

Bill White grew up in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb just outside of Chicago. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1995 with a BA in History. During his time there he was active in the Bengal Bouts, a boxing club sponsored by the university that raised money for the famine crisis in Bangladesh. Upon graduation, he moved to Aspen Colorado to ski and experience life outside the Midwest. He began his career with Alpine Bank in 1998 and is currently the Regional President of the Upper Roaring Fork for that organization, serving both Aspen and Snowmass Village. A fairly new member of the Aspen Flight Academy Board, Bill currently serves as the Treasurer. He is looking forward to continuing the positive momentum initiated by his predecessors and bringing real world experience in aviation to a growing number of students in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond.

Jim Bruno

Jim is the CEO of The Duck Company, a business he co-founded over 25 years ago in a CU-Boulder dorm room. The company creates & produces apparel and accessories, such as T-shirts, hats, and women’s shirts that are sold at resort specialty stores at destinations all over the world. Jim enjoys most outdoor sports including sailing, road biking, hiking and skiing. He's also an instrument rated pilot and loves to travel.

Jonathan Jones - President

During his 18 years with Atlantic, Mr. Jones has held every operational position at an FBO, has first-hand knowledge of every job, and leads by example. He started at Atlantic as a part-time CSR while attending Oklahoma State University, working his way up to Customer Service Manager, Line Service Technician, Safety and Training Manager, Line Manager, Operations Manager, and finally taking a General Manager position in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After 3 years in Fort Wayne, he moved to El Paso, TX, taking another General Manager position, as well as running all the fueling operations for Biggs Army Airfield on Fort Bliss. Also, after 3 years in El Paso, he took the Senior General Manager position in Aspen, taking the helm of one of Atlantic’s busiest locations. Mr. Jones’ breadth of experience and successful history as the General Manager of the ASE FBO uniquely qualifies him to serve as the General Manager for the new lease.

Jon Kelly

Jon Kelly is the CEO of Kelly Klee Private Insurance, the digital insurance agency that helps financially successful Americans cover their custom homes, cars, collections and personal liability. Jon’s career in the insurance industry started in 1995 with Marsh & McLennan’s strategy consulting division. In 1998, Jon co-founded eCoverage, the first U.S. startup to underwrite insurance online. Jon also serves on the board of Aspen Rotary and the Aspen Chapter of YPO. Jon earned a BA in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University.

Kelly Nimmo-Guenther

Kelly has been a pilot for over three years, starting her aviation journey at Aspen Flight Academy in September of 2020. She is an instrument rated pilot who was one of the founding members for the Western Slope division of Women in Aviation International. Kelly comes to us as a Texas A&M graduate with a background in Management Consulting at Accenture and Founder/President of two nonprofits. Born in Littleton, Colorado, she has been coming to the Valley for over 50 years and lives full-time in Aspen, Colorado.

Shelly S. Simi

As an aviation advocate with a passion for flight, Shelly Simi has been instrumental in promoting and enhancing corporate and association initiatives throughout the industry.

At NASAO, she renewed the government partnership with FAA and reenergized the NASAO Center for Research & Education with new focus on workforce development. At Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., Simi led the industry outreach strategies promoting autonomous/drone technology.

Before joining Aurora, Simi led industry relations for Jeppesen, was PR counsel at Adam Aircraft and served as spokesperson for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). She began her career as a Flight Operations/Fuel Coordinator for Federal Express (FedEx) Corporation in Memphis, Tennessee and is a general aviation pilot. Simi attended George Washington University's Public Relations Certificate Program in Washington, DC and holds a Bachelor of Commercial Aviation degree with a minor in Flight Operations from Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Lorraine Ohanesian - Administrator

Lorraine Ohanesian is owner/operator of Core Executive Services and has over 20 years experience in providing all-inclusive business services. Well versed in both corporate and entrepreneurial environments, Lorraine's experience spans multiple industries such as real estate, legal, agricultural research, and investment programs. She possesses the ability to work in a variety of business environments and assess any situation to interpret what is necessary. Lorraine has a proactive work style and is accountable to her clients.