Angel Flight Welcomes and Thanks Incoming and Outgoing Wing Leaders
by Ivan Martinez, Director of Outreach and Wing Operations
Incoming Wing Leaders
Incoming So. CA Wing Leader Jeff Moorhouse
Please join me in welcoming Jeff Moorhouse as AFW’s new So. CA Wing Leader. Jeff is a Certified Financial Planner and Advisor with Moorhouse Financial Services, Inc., located in Carpinteria and Ventura. Jeff is an extremely committed community servant. He has served as: past President of the Carpinteria Lions Club; member of the Carpinteria Masonic Lodge; assistant coach over 15 years for the Carpinteria High School Warrior football team; Board Member and past Chair of the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce; Carpinteria Education Foundation Board and past President; California Avocado Festival past president and CFO; Director of the Carpinteria Sanitary District Board over 20 years; Board of Directors Member of the California Sanitation Risk Management Authority (CSRMA), and elected in 2010 as Commissioner to the Santa Barbara Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) serving for eight years.
If that is not enough, he also finds time to occasionally go sailing and power boating, and welcomes any opportunity to crew on a boat! Jeff is an instrument-rated pilot. He owns a Beech Bonanza A36, and enjoys volunteer flying for Angel Flight West, Civil Air Patrol Squadron 61, Aeromedicos and the Santa Barbara Sheriff Aero Squadron. Jeff’s wife, Christie, is a Realtor with Keller Williams and together they make their home in Ventura. AFW is happy that Jeff is finding time to take the helm of our So. CA Wing!
Incoming Oregon Wing Leader Rob Brunner
It’s my pleasure to introduce Rob Brunner as our incoming Oregon Wing Leader. Rob is a former US Army CID Special Agent and a retired investigator. Born in Chicago and raised on a small farm town in Iowa, Rob now calls Jefferson, Oregon home. He holds a BS from Corban University and has been a pilot since 2011. Rob has been flying for Angel Flight West for about three years with 23 missions under his belt and counting. He is currently studying for his IFR rating and flies a 172 with his wife Stella, who is also an AFW pilot. Rob will be taking over the OR Wing Leader controls to help us continue our mission of delivering health and hope in Oregon and beyond.
Incoming Montana Wing Leader Michael Burks
Please join me in welcoming Michael Burks to the group as the new Montana Wing Leader. After his first GA flight from the back seat of his son’s first intro flight, Michael “absolutely fell in love with being in a small aircraft” and earned his license in ten weeks. He enjoys flying any chance he gets and finds it to be a relief from running 13 corporations with over 300 employees. Michael joined AFW in 2017 after seeing an ad on Facebook. Since joining, he has quickly become one of Montana’s and AFW’s top flying pilots, having recently reached the 100 mission milestone. He’s already made some strides in recruiting more Montana pilots and has also been featured in several media outlets for his work with AFW. Michael is based out of MSO and flies a Cessna TTx. Welcome aboard, Michael!
Outgoing Wing Leaders
Our heartfelt gratitude to Genevieve Lavin (Southern California), Bill Bayne (Montana), Jim Origliosso (Oregon) for their support and leadership as they transition off as Wing Leaders for their respective wings. We thank you for sharing your leadership, talents, and dedication to help us carry our mission of delivering health and hope! It has been a personal joy and privilege to have worked and learned from Gen, Bill, and Jim. Thank you!
Outgoing So Cal Wing Leader Genevieve Lavin
During Gen’s time serving as So Cal WIng Leader, Gen assisted over 40 missions, provided ground transport for patients, took the lead at many airshows and aviation events throughout the wing for AFW, helped operations with pilot recruitment and engagement, led TRACON tours for our members, and was a guaranteed helping hand at AFW fundraising events. Her strong dedication for aviation safety led to Gen organizing the Tri-Wing Fly-In and other safety gatherings. The list goes on and on, but perhaps most importantly of all, Gen passionately shared AFW and our mission everywhere and with everyone since joining AFW herself over five years ago.
We are happy to report that Gen will continue to remain involved in a supportive role in the SoCal Wing Leader Team, as she begins her new endeavor with Express Jet. Thank you, Genevieve!!!
Outgoing Montana Wing Leader Bill Bayne
Our friend and colleague Bill Bayne is transitioning off as the Montana Wing Leader. Bill has shared his talents, leadership, and dedication with AFW for several years as Wing Leader for the Montana Wing, during which time we have seen the wing continue to grow in missions and families served. After finding his time increasingly split out of state, Bill felt it was the right time to pass on the Wing Leader yoke.
Thankfully, Bill will continue flying missions as a Command Pilot and supporting AFW and the MT Wing. Thank you, Bill, and we look forward to seeing you in the air continuing to guide AFW!
Outgoing Oregon Wing Leader Jim Origliosso
Jim has achieved many accomplishments as Wing Leader, including leading several outreach efforts which have led to an increase of awareness among patients and medical facilities throughout Oregon. In addition, he’s organized a yearly fly-in for the Wing, maintained AFW presence at various medical and aviation conferences, and helped with pilot recruitment efforts resulting in an increase in our OR pilot family.
We are very happy that Jim will continue to remain involved in a supportive role in the Oregon Leadership Team and, of course, continue as a Command Pilot and one of the top flyers for OR.
