I am Mike Atwood. I have been a club member since 1994, a private pilot since 1979, and am instrument rated. I have flown with clubs, FBOs, and owned a plane for a few years (a Cherokee 180). My business experience is mostly in the software industry - head of engineering for the "Quicken" products at Intuit, General Manager at Lotus Development, and CTO and COO of a couple of small startup firms.

I enjoy flying at West Valley. I like the collective enterprise and sociability of a club, and I have met lots of great people here. A club can also - must also - deliver great service to its members, and keep the aircraft owners satisfied. I would like to bring my management and aviation experience to the board, and help insure that the club lives up to its charter of being a great place to fly. I also look forward to working with the existing board members.

The club is lucky to have a supportive membership, and a great general manager. With his efforts, a new accounting system, and a revamped maintenance department I think we have the basis for improved operations at the club.

For more than six years, I have been an active member of WVFC. From flying my first hour in a WVFC airplane to owning and leasing back an Archer, I have been exposed to nearly all aspects of club operations. Further, my professional experience in managing large IT environments provides further insight into running large integrated operations. I believe that my experiences can add value to the WVFC Board of Directors.

If elected to the WVFC Board of Directors, I will strive to have club management move to metrics based management practices focused on quality of maintenance, fleet uptime, and member satisfaction.

I'm Martin Michaud and I'm running for re-election to the board of directors seat designated for an aircraft owner.

I've been a member of the club, and my airplane has been on line, since 1993. I've been a flight instructor at the club since 1995 and have been serving on the board for the last two years.

My experience at West Valley, combined with my 25 years as a financial executive in Silicon Valley high tech companies, has given me a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing our club today.

I believe that we have one of the best flying clubs around and that we have the capacity to become the very best.

During the past board term I think we have made very good progress in this regard. The club has made substantial improvements in managing its relationship with the owner community, we have put in place new and vigorous management and have made many improvements in our basic business processes.

But there is much work left to do, particularly in the area of member services. New projects have begun which we believe will increase our fleet size, improve the utilization of our aircraft and make each aircraft on our line fully mission capable.

Compared to most of the CFIs and many of the members at West Valley, I'm a real greenhorn, having only earned my Private Pilot's certificate last November. On the other hand, I may be one of the few pilots at WVFC who can claim to have spent his entire piloting career with the club! I began flying because I wanted the challenge of learning a skill unlike anything else I have mastered, and because I would like one day to become a CFI myself. My perspective on the club is that of an apprentice pilot, and most of my flying so far has been directly involved with the purpose of building skills, experience, and ratings.

I chose to join West Valley primarily because it was a non-profit organization, and also because my CFI happened to be standing at the desk and gave me a friendly introduction to the club when I wandered in the door looking completely lost. It just seemed somehow different from other flight schools I had visited. Since then, I've been pleased to see that the organization has proven its resiliency on numerous occasions, always besting whatever challenges and changes have come our way. That the club has managed not only to survive but even to improve in the most un-friendly environment for general aviation in recent memory is a testament to the loyalty and the hard work of the membership, the staff, and the board. I'd feel privileged to serve on the board if elected, and would do my best to give back to the club whatever I can in return for all that I have gained as a student, a pilot, and a member.

Hi, my name is Joe Walowski. I'm a new pilot, and choosing West Valley as my flying club last spring was a great decision. After spending time around the club talking with people, I believe there is great untapped potential in our organization. I'd like to get involved and I'm asking for your vote for an at-large Board seat.

I have worked with many non-profits, large and small, throughout the Bay Area. As an alum of the Stanford Business School, I have for many years volunteered as a consultant to non-profits. I have led teams tasked with strategic planning, increasing operational efficiency, and just generally bringing a fresh perspective to an organization. I'd very much like to bring this expertise to my own club!

In addition, owning my own business gives me a perspective and time flexibility that should come in handy. Finally, I have experience as a productive, energetic board member - I currently sit on the board of two companies, one non-profit, one for-profit - and I understand the roles and responsibilities of board governance.