Mike Adamson

Mike Adamson became the Aircraft Electronics Association's president and chief executive officer on March 25, 2019.

An accomplished and experienced association executive, Adamson leads the AEA from its international headquarters in Lee's Summit, Missouri, which represents nearly 1,300 member companies in more than 40 countries, including avionics manufacturers and government-certified international repair stations specializing in maintenance, repair, and installation of avionics and electronic systems in general aviation aircraft.

Adamson served as AEA vice president of member programs and education from 2007 to 2019 where he was responsible for the AEA's training and education initiatives delivered to technicians and small-business owners in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Pacific and Latin America. He helped design, fund and equip the AEA's world-class training facility – the Dan Derby Center for Professional Development – that trains hundreds of technicians each year.

Since he first joined the AEA staff as director of training and education in 1999, Adamson has also served as the executive director of the AEA Educational Foundation, which administers the largest scholarship program for aircraft and avionics maintenance technicians in the world. Through fundraising activities and key industry partnerships, the AEA Educational Foundation has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships to more than 500 students since its inception.

Prior to joining the AEA staff, Adamson served in critical customer-facing positions at two Fortune 100 companies. He also managed equipment sales contracts with major aircraft manufacturers in both commercial and general aviation market segments.

A military veteran, Adamson served in the U.S. Navy as an aircraft maintenance office administrator in a combat-ready squadron.

Adamson is an active member of several industry and academic advisory committees. He also volunteers his time speaking to hundreds of future aviators at local and national aviation outreach initiatives each year.

In addition, Adamson has served as an executive officer for the ASTM International Committee F46 on Aerospace Personnel, which works toward the development and maintenance of internationally accepted standards and guidance materials for aerospace personnel education. He also has served as a member of ASTM Committee F38 on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, which addresses issues related to design, performance, quality acceptance tests, and safety monitoring for unmanned air vehicle systems.

Adamson was a founding board member for the National Center for Aerospace & Transportation Technologies and has served on the program advisory councils for the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas.

After completing a tour in the U.S. Navy, Adamson earned a bachelor's degree in aviation management from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, and a master's degree in business administration from Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri.