The NAHF Addresses Congressmans Concern
The National Aviation Hall of Fame addresses the concerns of Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH) and welcomes he and his staff to review the NAHF’s as he wishes.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Amy Spowart, Executive Director, NAHF(937) 256-0944 ext. 11ASpowart@nationalaviation.org29 January 2017The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF), Chartered by an Act of Congress in 1964, is a Gold Star rated 501(c)(3) Not-for-Profit based in Dayton, OH. Its mission is "Honoring Aerospace Legends to Inspire Future Leaders."Although the NAHF has not yet received any correspondence from local Dayton U.S. Congressman Michael R Turner, there are press reports of a letter that Representative Turner has purportedly sent to the NAHF. Members of the press have supplied a digital version to the Board. The Chairman of the NAHF has sent a letter to Mr. Turner in response. A copy is available to the press. Please contact the NAHF Executive Director, Amy Spowart for a digital copy at ASpowart@nationalaviation.orgThe NAHF wishes to express its thanks to Mr. Turner for his and his staff's close and personal involvement and support of the NAHF over the last years.The NAHF Executive Committee looks forward to answering any questions regarding the recent Board vote to move the 2017 annual Enshrinement Dinner one time from Dayton to Fort Worth, TX against the Congressman's advice and expressed feelings. As the Chairman's letter states, the NAHF has complete confidence in the outside team of independent auditors as well as the two local Dayton CPA's who have leadership positions on the NAHF Board as Treasurer and Vice President for Enshrinement. Currently, the most recent audited statement available is the CY15 audit. The standard annual audit process begins with the independent auditors arriving in Ohio after the beginning of each new year to begin the onsite process of closing the books, transaction verification, testing and review of controls. The draft CY16 audit will first be presented to the Treasurer, President, and Chairman. The final audit will then be presented to the Executive Committee and the full board of trustees at the first board meeting after the audit is complete. The CY 16 audit will be available to the public and the press as soon as it is adopted by the board. Taken together with the outstanding ratings by the BBB and Guide Star, the board's financial oversight, business plan, brand, and development team in Washington, the NAHF is completely confident of the integrity of its Board members and staff. In fact, the board and its senior officers, which include national aviation business leaders, former military general officers, former astronauts and local business leaders, are among the NAHF largest donors and take their responsibility to their fellow donors very seriously.Congressman Turner and his staff are welcome anytime they wish during business hours to visit the NAHF offices which are co-located on the grounds of the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton and conduct whatever reviews they would like. If there is a specific complaint from one of his constituents, or anyone else, the NAHF Board looks forward to addressing it immediately, thoroughly and in a professional manner.The NAHF encourages anyone in a position of authority or indeed the general public to come the NAHF offices and see for themselves.While the Congressman has not yet shared with the National Aviation Hall of Fame his concerns or the information it is based on, nor the relevant congressional oversight committee making the inquiry, as we have previously noted, the Board and Leadership of the National Aviation Hall of Fame stand ready to respond to the oversight committee at any time. We also stand ready to meet with Congressman Turner.As also previously announced, the Hall of Fame is hosting its annual next enshrinement dinner in Fort Worth, Texas on October 28, 2017. We understand the Congressman is concerned about this break in tradition and have sought his support in the past to keep the dinner in Dayton. We look forward to further conversations with the Congressman.Please refer to the Chairman's letter referenced above for more details on the amazing contributions of our Trustees and to get a feel for the breadth and depth of the organization that honors the accomplishments and life lessons of our 233 Enshrinees from the Wright Brothers to present in order to inspire the young leaders of tomorrow. ####
