Stangarone Named Chairman and President of New England Air Museum

The Board of Directors of the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association — New England Air Museum has elected Robert Stangarone chairman of the board and president, effective immediately. He succeeds Scott Ashton who has served in that role for the past 12 years and previously announced he will not be seeking reelection. Ashton will remain on the Board as past president for a one-year term.

“Leading this organization and this Board truly has been one of my greatest honors. We have accomplished many great things and have had a major impact on our community as we have effectively executed our mission to preserve, engage and inspire,” Ashton said. “The New England Air Museum has a great future with many great programs and exhibits coming to fruition in the years ahead, and I believe that it is one of the truly great institutions in New England and one of the great aviation museums in this country,” he added.  

“I would like to thank Scott for his outstanding leadership through some very turbulent times,” Stangarone said, “most recently guiding us through the COVID crisis that has caused the demise of so many museums.”

Stangarone has held senior management positions at United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky units, Rolls-Royce, Litton, Fairchild Dornier, Textron’s Cessna Aircraft unit and Embraer. While at Cessna he founded and served as chairman of the Wichita Aero Club, and also served as chairman of Cessna’s Environmental Strategy Council. He is a former journalist and commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings and is type-rated in Citation series business jets. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Aeronautic Association and its Collier Trophy Selection Committee and serves on numerous industry advisory boards and committees.