The head of the Air Force Association is stepping down to take a new job, with his last day coming around Feb. 1. 2015.
Craig McKinley, the former Chief of the National Guard Bureau who retired as a four star general, led AFA since October 2012.
The news was announced in an internal email to AFA members by Scott Van Cleef, the current chairman of AFA's board.
"I've been given verbal notice that Craig McKinley will be leaving his position as AFA President," Van Cleef wrote in the email. "I know you share my disappointment in learning of his departure. He does so only because he's been offered an opportunity that, in the long term, is best suited for him and his family."
What that opportunity is was not spelled out in the email, but Van Cleef added that McKinley's next employer is expected to announce his hiring on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
"During his tenure, the staff has been transformed and is leaner and more efficient by far, and is focused on the core mission of our association," Van Cleef continued. "We are a better organization as a result of his outstanding leadership. All of us at AFA wish him and his family the best."
A search committee for his replacement is being formed, led by former Chairman of the Board George Muellner. The role has traditionally been filled with a retired top general, but sources indicate there is no one specific candidate being discussed at the moment. Based on 990 forms filed with the IRS, the position pays in excess of $200,000 a year.
It is hard to get a read on McKinley's time at AFA, in part because the association, like all military-adjacent organization, suffered through sequestration. AFA's conferences in 2013 showed lowered attendance as service officials were unable to travel and industry looked for ways to cut back on spending.
However, McKinley also oversaw the revitalization of the Mitchell Institute, an air power focused research group now. And September's AFA Air and Space conference, the Association's signature event, featured higher attendance from both airmen and industry.
According to a 2013 annual report, AFA has over 250,000 members and brought in more than $25 million in income, largely through advertisement, dues and events.
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
