President: Mark Avakian (email: [email protected])
Mark is President of Avakian & Associates, LLC a consulting engineering and project management firm. He
graduated from the University of Maine with B.S.. Engineering, Manhattan College with a Master of Engineering
degree and attended the New York University Stern Business School. He is a licensed professional engineer.
His 40 plus years of experience have included projects throughout the country and around the world. He and his
wife Pat, moved to Amelia Island in 2014. He is a member of the Nassau County Coalition for the Homeless and
St. Michael Church.

Vice-President: Karen Atkins (email: [email protected])
After leading and developing sales teams to the top pinnacles of success for over 30 years in the corporate world,
Karen is now solidly embracing her personal passions. Since retirement, Karen chaired a non-profit, the "Hearts
with Hope Gala", for domestic violence survivors. She mentors young female leaders in the Professional Women’s
Alliance (PWA), along with inner-city schoolchildren through Buckhead Church. She routinely flies her plane between
her homes on Amelia Island, FL, and Atlanta, GA, and embraces continual flight training.

Secretary: Position vacant (email: [email protected])

Treasurer: Melissa Drahzal (email: [email protected])
Melissa has over 25 years of accounting experience, including a decade of CFO status working with the
manufactured food industry. She currently still holds her CPA designation and remains active in consulting
and volunteer roles. Melissa has been flying in a Grumman Tiger with her husband, Matt Drahzal,
for over 15 years and they moved to Fernandina Beach 3 years ago.

Member at Large: Patrick Gordon (email: [email protected])
Patrick Gordon is a civilian trained Airline Transport Pilot in both fixed and rotor wing aircraft. He has over
15,000 hours of flight time, most of it in international operations. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology
and business from Southeast Missouri State University, and a master's degree in aviation management
from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. After flying VIPs and Royal Family members in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia and The UnitedArab Emirates, he became an aviation advisor to the Royal Family in the UAE.

Committee Chairpersons

Fundraising / Grants: Karen Atkins
Scholarships / Aviation Education: Mark Avakian
Revenue raising events: TBN
Social media / Website development / Membership initiatives: TBN