Business aviation executive David C. Hurley will serve as the new chairman of the National Air and Space Museum Board.

A former chief executive officer and current vice chairman of the full-service business aviation group PrivatAir, Hurley was elected unanimously by his fellow board members on October 5. He will assume the chairmanship in January.

 Hurley holds an airline transport pilot’s license and has logged over 15,000 hours of flight time since he began flying at age 14 in a Stinson Voyager. He is an alumnus of Hartwick College, served three years in the Special Services branch of the U.S. Army and later held senior positions with Canadair Challenger and Cessna Aircraft.

After founding Flight Services Group in 1984, Hurley was named CEO of PrivatAir when it acquired Flight Services Group in 2000. He also has extensive experience in telecommunications marketing and sales.

Hurley serves on the boards of B/E Aerospace and Hexcel. He also serves on the board of the Corporate Angel Network, which arranges free air transportation for cancer patients traveling to treatment. He is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Wings Club.

Hurley lives in Weston, Connecticut, with his wife Johanna. The couple has three children and three grandchildren.

The National Air and Space Museum, composed of the flagship building on the National Mall in Washington and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., is home to the world’s finest collection of artifacts of flight. From aircraft and space vehicles to engines, art and models, the wide array of the museum’s holdings tells the story of the history and technology of air and space exploration.

The museum is also a key institution for research into the history, science and technology of aviation and space flight.

The National Air and Space Museum Board provides the Smithsonian with leadership, advice and support in achieving the museum mission of commemorating the development of aviation and spaceflight and educating and inspiring the nation.