Chapter Education and Networking

Dick Knapinski has been EAA’s Director of Communications since January 2010, having been promoted to that position after serving as a member of EAA’s Public Relations/Marketing staff since 1992.  His responsibilities include being a liaison between the 300,000-member aviation organization and media representatives who report on EAA activities throughout the year.  Those activities include the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in, which has an annual attendance of more than 600,000 and draws 10,000 airplanes and nearly 1,000 members of the international media to Oshkosh.  

In 2013, The Northeast Wisconsin chapter of the Public Relations Society of America named Dick as the first recipient of its “Communicator of the Year” award and in October 2016, Knapinski was invited to be one of 15 speakers for the inaugural TEDxOshkosh program, a locally organized event affiliated with the renowned TED-talk series. He was also a co-author of the 2016 book EAA Oshkosh: The Best Aviation Photography. 

Rick Larsen – EAA VP, Communities and Member Programming

• Rick joined the EAA team in 2004 and leads the planning for the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh event, including features and attractions, as well as coordination of the event’s many functions. In the past decade, EAA AirVenture annual attendance has grown more than 30 percent, to 734,000 in 2026.

Dan Mincheff – EAA VP, IT and Education

• Dan has been with EAA for the past year, leading upgrades of the organization’s technology infrastructure and opportunities, and positioning them for growth. He has more than 30 years of executive leadership across technology, higher education, and aviation-adjacent organizations.

Heidi Hamm – EAA Sales Support Manager

• Heidi joined EAA in 2005 and as a member of the organization’s business development team, coordinates the link between sponsorship and advertising sales and business relationship/fulfillment. That includes involvement with more than 100 sponsors at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026.

Matt Funk – EAA Director of Human Resources

• Matt has been with EAA since 2023 and in his role, leads the recruitment and retention of EAA’s workforce, including full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees as well as HR management of the association’s thousands of volunteers, particularly during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

Michelle Holt – Manager, EAA AirVenture Volunteer Program

• Michelle came to EAA in 2010 and currently manages AirVenture’s volunteer program, which includes more than 6,000 volunteers who assist at EAA AirVenture each year. Her role includes volunteer area coordination, recognition, and assistance for 82 volunteer-run areas and 520 chairpeople during AirVenture.