Jack J. Pelton
Encyclopedia
Jack J. Pelton is a former CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company
. Before becoming the CEO of Cessna, Pelton was Cessna's Senior Vice President of Engineering. Before joining Textron
in 2000, Pelton was Senior Vice President of Engineering and Programs at Fairchild Dornier. Prior to this, he worked at Douglas Aircraft for over two decades.
Soon after Jack Pelton was named CEO of Cessna, it was revealed that his resume included references to education received from Hamilton University
, which 60 Minutes
news program discovered was a diploma mill
. Neither his undergraduate or graduate degrees in Aerospace Engineering were earned from an accredited school. Temporarily embarrassed by the revelation, Textron released a statement proclaiming that Pelton was chosen for his 30 year long career in leadership and not for his faked diplomas.
Pelton testified in favor of a property tax increase to build an aviation training facility that would benefit Cessna at an August 9, 2006 Sedgwick County Commission meeting. At a December 12, 2006 meeting of the Wichita City Council, Cessna applied for industrial revenue bonds that include an exemption from paying property tax on property purchased with IRB proceeds.
In March 2008, Kansas
Governor Kathleen Sebelius
appointed Pelton to lead the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group.
Textron announced that Jack Pelton retired from Cessna on May 2, 2011, "effective Immediately". The aviation news media has noted Pelton's hasty retirement. AvWeb Editor-In-Chief Russ Niles questioned "who retires "effective immediately" at age 52 on a Monday morning when the boss is in town?" and speculated that it was related to a possible demand from Textron for cuts to Cessna after a first quarter 2011 loss of US$38 million.
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
. Before becoming the CEO of Cessna, Pelton was Cessna's Senior Vice President of Engineering. Before joining Textron
Textron
Textron is a conglomerate that includes Bell Helicopter, E-Z-GO, Cessna Aircraft Company, and Greenlee, among others. It was founded by Royal Little in 1923 as the Special Yarns Company, and is headquartered at the Textron Tower in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.With total revenues of...
in 2000, Pelton was Senior Vice President of Engineering and Programs at Fairchild Dornier. Prior to this, he worked at Douglas Aircraft for over two decades.
Soon after Jack Pelton was named CEO of Cessna, it was revealed that his resume included references to education received from Hamilton University
Hamilton University
Hamilton University was an unaccredited institution based in Evanston, Wyoming, USA. According to the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization, it was first established in Hawaii as American State University...
, which 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
news program discovered was a diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
. Neither his undergraduate or graduate degrees in Aerospace Engineering were earned from an accredited school. Temporarily embarrassed by the revelation, Textron released a statement proclaiming that Pelton was chosen for his 30 year long career in leadership and not for his faked diplomas.
Pelton testified in favor of a property tax increase to build an aviation training facility that would benefit Cessna at an August 9, 2006 Sedgwick County Commission meeting. At a December 12, 2006 meeting of the Wichita City Council, Cessna applied for industrial revenue bonds that include an exemption from paying property tax on property purchased with IRB proceeds.
In March 2008, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
Governor Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was the second female Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors...
appointed Pelton to lead the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group.
Textron announced that Jack Pelton retired from Cessna on May 2, 2011, "effective Immediately". The aviation news media has noted Pelton's hasty retirement. AvWeb Editor-In-Chief Russ Niles questioned "who retires "effective immediately" at age 52 on a Monday morning when the boss is in town?" and speculated that it was related to a possible demand from Textron for cuts to Cessna after a first quarter 2011 loss of US$38 million.