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Lindbergh Foundation Announces Two New Board Members

Textron CIO Ian Walsh & Flying Magazine Publisher Dick Koenig
 

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Mar. 30, 2011) — At a press conference at SUN ’n FUN today, the Lindbergh Foundation announced that Textron’s Chief of Staff and Chief Innovation Officer Ian Walsh, and Flying magazine’s Publisher Dick Koenig, have joined the board of The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation.

“We are extremely pleased to have Ian and Dick join the Lindbergh Foundation board to help us further our long-standing efforts to better the environment through the innovative use of science and technology,” said Lindbergh Chairman and CEO Larry Williams.  “They are each highly respected members of the aviation community. As the Foundation delves further into aviation-environmental programming, we are confident that their leadership and positive direction will be valuable additions to our already influential board.”

Ian Walsh is presently Chief of Staff and Chief Innovation Officer at Textron Systems. In that capacity, he is responsible for the process excellence and compliance for all Systems’ Operations, Engineering, Program Management, Six Sigma, Information Technology, and driving simplicity and speed across all five of Textron Systems operating units. Previously he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Lycoming Engines.  From 2004 to 2009 Walsh led the transformation and turn around of the business to become one of Textron’s first Shingo certified companies and the premier aviation engine company recognized for their products, innovation and customer service.  Ian also served seven and a half years as a Marine Corps officer and Cobra pilot in operations in Somalia, Haiti and Bosnia.

Walsh said the Lindbergh Foundation’s mission is aligned with the direction of Lycoming Engines — to advance technology development but with an equal commitment to preserving our environment.  He added, “I am excited and honored to become a board member and continue to help lead this incredibly important objective for General Aviation and our communities.”

Dick Koenig is the publisher of Flying Magazine, one of aviation’s premier publications (which was launched the same year that Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic).  He has spent 41 years in the general aviation and business aviation markets, with 37 years in publishing, sales and marketing.  Koenig also served as a commissioned officer in the US Army, with six years on active duty, most of which was flying helicopter gunships with a tour of duty in Korea and two in the Republic of Viet Nam.  He also flew corporate aviation, airline, Air Guard, and was a flight instructor.

Koenig said, “I am honored to have been selected to be a member of the Lindbergh Foundation Board of Directors and am looking forward to working with the Board, staff and volunteers in helping to achieve the goals of the Foundation and the growth of the organization.”

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About The Lindbergh Foundation

The Lindbergh Foundation is a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, based in Anoka, Minnesota, which focuses on technological breakthroughs to address significant aviation-environmental issues. The Lindbergh Foundation also values individual initiative and accomplishments.  Its programs are devoted to supporting, honoring, and educating individuals, through three major programs:  the annual Lindbergh Award, presented to individuals for significant contributions toward balancing nature and scientific innovation in their work; the Lindbergh Grants program, which provides grants in amounts up to $10,580 (the cost of building the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927) for research or education projects that will make important contributions to the technology/environment balance; and a variety of educational events and publications centered on the balance theme