Airshow announces new executive director
The Stuart Air Show announced the appointment of Inez van Ravenzwaaij to the position of executive director. The news comes immediately after the organization scored a massive success with its Top Gun-themed Salute to Stuart pre-air show event, which took place on June 25.
Van Ravenzwaaij is a longtime air show fan and volunteer. She has 30-plus years of marketing and event experience, including managing super-car and air shows, grand openings, galas, and more.
After gaining experience with events like Surprise in the Skies for the twentieth anniversary of Walt Disney World, the Countdown to the Magic promotional European tour for the opening of Euro Disney, and Wings & Wheels in Fort Pierce, she's the recipient of numerous awards from the International Council of Airshow and the International Festival & Event Association.
Adding to her dynamic resume, Van Ravenzwaaij was a marketing manager for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers/TCPalm, Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, and, most recently, Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County. But her enthusiasm for air shows, aviation, and veterans has never waned, and she's been an active community volunteer and a founding member of Southeast Florida Honor Flight, with which she has accompanied WWII veterans on more than 14 flights.
"We're delighted that Inez agreed to join our air show team," says Doug Davis, Stuart Airshow Board President. "Her extensive marketing and event experience, combined with her deep roots in the community and her passion for all things aviation, will bring invaluable perspectives in guiding the organization through its next stage of development and growth."
Van Ravenzwaaij added, "I am honored to be invited to join the team and be a part of the largest event on the Treasure Coast that brings so much pride to the community. I can't wait to get started and make the community even prouder of it and of all that it stands for – honoring the past while inspiring the younger generation to look up into the blue skies and imagine all the possibilities."
Plans for the 2022 Stuart Air Show on November 11-13 are well underway, and commitments from several U.S. military jet teams and nationally recognized aerobatic performers have already been received. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.stuartairshow.com.
The Stuart Air Show, a nonprofit organization, has been dedicated to honoring the history of American aviation and veterans for more than 30 years. Each year the air show attracts tens of thousands of attendees and partners with schools and children's service agencies to offer STEM and other educational opportunities to hundreds of school-age children. The Stuart Air Show also partners with like-minded mission nonprofits such as EAA Chapter 692, Southeast Florida Honor Flight, and the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, as well as providing fundraising opportunities for dozens of other Martin County-based charities.