Leenhouts Celebrates Retirement at Sun ’n Fun 2022

The longtime president of the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo had a gala send-off from the aviation family this week.

Julie Boatman

Friday, April 08, 2022 at 05:15 PM ET

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John “Lites” Leenhouts is retiring from his role as president and CEO. [Courtesy: Sun 'n Fun]

Key Takeaways:

John "Lites" Leenhouts is retiring as president and CEO of the Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo after more than a decade at the helm, during which he championed the growth of the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) and the Ramus SkyLAB Innovation Center.
Gene Conrad will succeed Leenhouts as president and CEO on April 11, bringing extensive experience from his previous role as airport director of Lakeland Linder International Airport, where Sun 'n Fun is based, since 2010.
Leenhouts was honored at the Expo's Bash fundraising event for his nearly 50 years in the aviation industry and his significant contributions to Sun 'n Fun and ACE, for which he will continue to serve as an active advocate.

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Last fall, the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo announced that after the end of the 2022 fly-in and airshow, John “Lites” Leenhouts will retire from his role as president and CEO. With nearly 50 years in the aviation industry, and more than a decade at the helm of the second-largest ongoing airshow in the U.S., Leenhouts will turn the reins over to incoming leader Gene Conrad, who steps up on April 11.

Leenhouts will continue to be an active advocate for both the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) and SNF.