John “Lites” Leenhouts, president and CEO of the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) and the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo (SNF), has announced plans to retire after Sun ‘n Fun 2022. Leenhouts has held the position for more than a decade and is credited with having “created a world-class event venue attracting dozens of multiday events annually, built the world’s largest high school flying club, and consistently increased attendance at the annual SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo.” He was also responsible for conceptualizing and establishing ACE, a nonprofit organization that provides aerospace-based science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities for young people, and overseeing the restructuring of the ACE/SNF organization in 2019.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/sun-n-fun-ceo-to-retire-after-2022-expo