COPA Board of Directors

TJ Shembekar, President

TJ Shembekar is a 3 time Cirrus owner, currently flying an SR22T G6. Like many people, TJ thought of becoming a pilot since childhood.  However, something always got in the way, such as finances, time and life in general.  Then in 2005 on his birthday, he decided to take the plunge and quickly got his private pilot license in a Cessna 172.  With 58 hours in logbook, he bought a brand new SR20 G2. 

In the SR20, he went on to acquire an instrument and commercial rating before stepping up to an SR22TN G3, which he flew extensively, including 49 states and 9 countries.  After taking a 5 year break from flying due to a work assignment in Singapore, he returned to flying in 2018 with the support and encouragement of several COPA members.

Currently, he is based in Florida at the Spruce Creek Fly-In.  He has ~2100 hours almost entirely in a Cirrus and is always in pursuit of the next flying adventure.  In fact, he chronicles his journeys on Youtube on his “TJ Flying Adventures” Channel.

In his professional life, TJ is a retired IT executive but uses his IT skills in aviation related pursuits.

Board Service Began: September 2021 (COPA Migration)

1st Term: 2021 - 2023

2nd Term: 2023 - 2025

3rd Term: 2025 - 2027

Time Out: COPA Migration 2027

Rob Fulton, Vice President

Although he got his private and instrument rating early in life, Rob regained currency after a long gap and like many of us, fell in love with Cirrus. After a brief search, N212PF, became an extension of the Fulton family enabling them to see family and friends frequently while also escaping for the occasional overnight in the southeast. He is a native of Monroe, North Carolina (KEQY). Rob and Nikki have a blended family with three children (17, 17, 24) that keep them on their toes. He’s been looking for the right place to serve COPA and is excited to share his passion, build community, and continue the great work of others before him. He brings his core values to everything he does in work and play: transparency, compassion, and authenticity.

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robfult/

Instagram: @robfult_cirrus_2pf

Board Service Began: September 2022 (COPA Migration)

1st Term: 2022 - 2023

2nd Term: 2023 - 2025

3rd Term: 2025 - 2027

Time Out: COPA Migration 2027

Jim Grace, Treasurer

Jim Grace has been a member of COPA for many years.  He’s been active on COPA forums, has attended many Migrations and is a Safety Pilot for the C2A formation group.  He knows many of the association’s members well and wants to help COPA become an even better organization in the future.  He’s been flying for 15 years and has been involved with aviation since right after college and his first job at Grumman.  He had the privilege of working on the F-14, E-6, C-17 and X-29 during his tenure.

Since then, his area of professional expertise has been online insurance, technology and leadership.  He built his company from his basement to 100 employees and sold the company a few months before COVID started.  He was able to use his technology background and his deep understanding of insurance, accounting and legal matters to make a world class company.

He loves spending time with his wife and family, flying, and working on their ranch in Texas, if they’re not skiing in Colorado or fishing in Grand Cayman. He has around 3,300 hours of flight time with 2,000 of those hours in Cirri.  He first started renting a 22 and 22T and flew those rentals for more than 300 hours a year.  They rolled out the red carpet for him and he was the company’s favorite renter.  He then smartened up and purchased a 22T, flew that for many years, and has since owned a Phenom 100EV and Epic E1000.  He actively flys Cirri with C2A and does C2A’s annual formation flight into Oshkosh.  He’s learned so much from COPA over the years and this is his chance to give back to an organization that has undoubtedly made him a better pilot.   

Board Service Began: September 2024 (COPA Migration)

1st Term: 2024 - 2026

2nd Term: 2026 - 2028

3rd Term: 2028 - 2030

Time Out: COPA Migration 2030

Bill King, Secretary

Growing up in a Minneapolis suburb, Bill dreamt of flying from a very early age. As a kid he would ride his bicycle to MSP (International) and FCM (Flying Cloud – Reliever) airports to watch planes, wishing he was at the controls. While doing consulting work early in his career, he met Alan and Dale Klapmeier, founders of Cirrus Aircraft. He helped them source outside funding necessary at the time to support the development of the new aircraft and later assisted Cirrus in their relocation from Baraboo, WI to Duluth, MN. He joined this young and talented team in 1992 and spent the next 30 years in several senior leadership positions, including finance, HR, Safety, and Legal. He saw this young enterprise through many development programs, culminating in the launch of the “SR” and “SF” designs we all fly today.

Bill received his ppt license while working at Cirrus in Sept 1997, followed by Instrument and Commercial ratings shortly thereafter. He currently owns and operates an aircraft leasing business that began with his first Cirrus purchase, a 2004 G1 SR20 in December of that year.  Bill has owned many Cirrus’ and is currently flying a 2014 SR22 (G5).

Married in 1981, Bill and his wife, Mary have 2-daughters, 2 son-in-laws, and four grandchildren that provide many excuses to use their plane to spend time with them all. Bill has numerous hobbies, but says flying is at the top of the list.  

Bill has always been a huge supporter of COPA and is honored to put his passion to work to grow our organization and impact Cirrus owners everywhere, helping them to fly smarter and safer every time they enter the cockpit.

Board Service Began: 2024

Mark van Niftrik , International Director

In 1989, Mark van Niftrik took the first steps of a career as a Professional Pilot. In that year, he started gliding with the Royal Netherlands Air Force from Soesterberg Air Force Base. Full-time pilot training was too expensive, but Mark didn't give up on his dream. During the day, he worked as a Coupler for Holland Casino and all the free evenings he went to the NLS (National Aviation School). From 1993, he spends all vacations in the USA to gather his licenses. In early 2001 he had established a European 'Frozen ATPL', FAA Commercial and Flight Instructor privileges (CFI, CFII, MEI). 

To pass the last ATPL exam, Mark traveled with two friends to New York in early September in 2001. There he flew around the World Trade Center in a rented Cessna. Two days later on 9/11, a sprained ankle while running luckily delayed Mark and his friends' plans to meet for breakfast in the North Tower. 

After this world changing tragedy, Mark came into contact with the Cirrus Aircraft and the love for the airplane proved to be lasting. Teaching turned out to be in his blood and he enjoyed it more and more as time went on. In 2004, Mark became a CSIP, and was one of the first CSIP's in Europe. Today, he runs a Platinum Cirrus Training Center at Stadtlohn Airfield (EDLS) right on the border between The Netherlands and Germany. He has flown more than 9,000 hours, mainly in Europe and the USA. 

Board Service Began: September 2021 (COPA Migration)

1st Term: 2021 - 2023

2nd Term: 2023 - 2025

3rd Term: 2025 - 2027

Time Out: COPA Migration 2027

Dave St. Clair, Board Member

Dave St.Clair, like many pilots, had the dream of flying from a from a very early age.  He achieved the dream in 1991 and purchased his first aircraft, a 1969 Cherokee 180, soon thereafter.  This was the family station wagon hauling his wife and two young daughters throughout the US Southwest.  The mission starting requiring longer flights so Dave upgraded to a Bellanca Super Viking.  Ownership of the Bellanca ended in a south Georgia swamp when the #5 cylinder failed resulting in an unplanned stop on a family trip to Disney World.  Life intervened and Dave was on the flying sidelines for a decade or so before getting back in the air in 2007 with the “low and slow” crowd.  His wife Jamie insisted on a chute, for obvious reasons, and their mission now didn’t include 2 kids nor long distances so a brand new S-LSA was the new direction.  The Sting S3 was and is a joy to hand fly and was a capable regional traveler at a speedy 120 KTAS.  Around 2018, the mission changed again to include much more traveling and longer distances so a Cirrus was now in play.

I joined COPA to research all things Cirrus and was impressed with the knowledge and openness of the community.  I ended up purchasing a SR22G1 from a COPA member and have spent the last ~3 years enjoying the Cirrus Life!

Professionally, I moved into the semi-retirement phase of life after a long career as a technology managing director at Deloitte.  I was privileged to serve in a variety of roles including CIO in Deloitte Tax, Senior Managing Director Client Service Technology and Senior Managing Director Finance and Talent Technology.  With retirement, I now had the opportunity to spend more time on other ventures so reached out to the COPA President and offered my services.  This started with chairing the COPA Pilot magazine editorial board which has now be augmented by an appointment to the board of directors.  I’m very excited to part of such a great team!

Dave is happily married to his college sweetheart and is the father to two grown daughters.  Family comes first so when both girls moved to the PNW, Dave and Jamie decided it was time for a new adventure and uprooted from their home in Dallas of 24 years to their new home in a small hamlet just east of Vancouver, WA.

Board Service Began: September 2021 (COPA Migration)

1st Term: 2021 - 2023

2nd Term: 2023 - 2025

3rd Term: 2025 - 2027

Time Out: COPA Migration 2027

Peter Brown, Board Member

Living in Washington State, Peter moved from the mountains to an island with his wife and son in the summer of 2020. To avoid the inconvenience of ferry travel, he resolved to become a pilot. He joined COPA, knowing nearly nothing about aviation, and collected a great many opinions, eventually deciding that his forever plane should be a Cirrus. He bought one, had it flown back to Seattle, and then spent the next few months learning to fly it. A year later, he earned his instrument rating. He's never flown any other plane. After four years, he's recently given up on retirement and returned to his life-long love of software and entrepreneurship. 

Board Service Began: 2024

Kelly Nimmo-Guenther, Board Member

Kelly Nimmo-Guenther has always been captivated by the skies. Her love for flying began, not in a traditional airplane cockpit, but as a skydiver with Aggies Over Texas at Texas A&M University. While in college, she discovered a deep passion for aviation, enrolling in an aviation course. However, balancing full-time work and studies made skydiving a weekend outlet for her desire to be airborne.

It wasn't until the world slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020 that Kelly had the time to fully embrace her aviation dreams. As her family took the opportunity to pursue their individual passions, her husband Todd encouraged her to chase her long-held dream of becoming a pilot. With local flight schools closed due to the pandemic, Kelly seized the moment, diving into self-study and dedicating her summer to learning the fundamentals of flight.

Since then, she has earned both her private pilot's license and instrument rating, and even purchased a 2021 Cirrus SR22T to continue her journey through the skies. Her drive for continuous learning within the aviation world remains strong, and she is honored to serve on the COPA board. For Kelly, flying isn’t just a hobby—it’s a commitment to lifelong learning and growth. She firmly believes that staying curious and continuously evolving as a pilot is key, and she credits COPA and the Cirrus Pilot Proficiency Program (CPPP) for providing invaluable opportunities to sharpen her skills while connecting with an incredible community of fellow pilots and friends.

Board Service Began: September 2024 (COPA Migration)

1st Term: 2024 - 2026

2nd Term: 2026 - 2028

3rd Term: 2028 - 2030

Time Out: COPA Migration 2030

Doug Beary, Board Member

Doug Beary is an avid pilot and has been flying since 1978. Doug started his aviation journey as a 16 year old - with a lawn mowing and landscaping business that provided funds for flying. Originally flying out of PDK (Peachtree-Dekalb airport in Atlanta area) when Epps air service was still in flight training. He finished his pilot's license at Auburn when he graduated in 1984 (BS in Industrial Engineering). Doug went to work for IBM in the Raleigh/Durham NC area and put flying on the back burner for a while. In the early 1990's he went to Oshkosh and got interested in kitplanes. Doug joined Lancair part time, and handled online bulletin board leads for them. In 1996 Doug was employee number 6 at Cessna's restart for the 172, 182 and 206 line of single engine piston aircraft. He relocated to Independence Kansas for several years while being Division Sales manager for the Eastern US. In 1999, Doug rejoined IBM and began selling in an area called HPC (High Performance Computing). Over the last two decades, Doug has been selling computer HW in various generations, to researchers and Institutes of Higher Education. Currently, Doug sells HPC with Lenovo.  As for Cirrus - Doug is a four time Cirrus owner - having owned Serial #99 (2001), a 2006 G2, 2017 G6 Turbo and now a 2017 G6 normally aspirated. 

Doug and his wife have 3 children who are grown and gone ! and now travel extensively with the Cirrus. 

Board Service Began: September 2024 (COPA Migration)

1st Term: 2024 - 2026

2nd Term: 2026 - 2028

3rd Term: 2028 - 2030

Time Out: COPA Migration 2030

John Covino, Board Member

 John’s love for aviation began at an early age, growing up near the final approach for Newark International Airport. In 1988, John enlisted in the United States Navy and began his aviation career as an Air Traffic Controller. After completing Tower certifications, he became a Radar Approach Controller working both military and civilian aircraft on the East Coast.

After military service, an FAA hiring freeze allowed John to gain experience in other facets of aviation. In 1994, John joined Signature Flight Support and worked every job at the FBO, starting as a Customer Service Representative and leaving as their Regional Marketing Manager, Northeast.

In 1997, John was appointed as a Federal Air Traffic Controller, working at Hanscom Field (KBED). This is where he saw his first Cirrus SR20 and was immediately intrigued. He then started flight lessons and became a Private Pilot, flying C172’s for many years. 

In 2000, John transferred to Logan International Airport (KBOS) and has worked as a Certified Professional Controller, Traffic Management Coordinator and Operations Supervisor. A year later in 2001, he was responding to one of the darkest days in aviation, while working on the morning of September 11th. In addition to Boston Tower, John has worked the Control Towers at both Sun n’ Fun and Oshkosh Airshows.

Fun fact: He actually gave the official “landing clearance” to our COPA Formation arrival in 2023 from Oshkosh Tower.

In 2024, John retired from the FAA and is currently teaching Air Traffic Control as a contract instructor utilizing Tower Simulation Systems. 

In his spare time, John shares his passion for aviation by participating in pilot town halls, safety outreach programs and educational forums, promoting safety on each side of the microphone.

John owns a 2005 Cirrus SR20 GTS, based at Hanscom Field (KBED). He is an Instrument rated pilot and Safety Pilot with COPA Formation. John is currently working on his Commercial certificate.

Linked In:

http://linkedin.com/in/john-m-covino

Board Service Start Date: January 2025

Erik Gundersen, Immediate Past President

Erik Gundersen has always had a passion for aviation since he was a small child. With his grandparents living in Norway, Erik would travel there many summers via the Airlines with his face against the airport and airplane window watching the airplanes takeoff and land. He knew he would be a pilot once he was older. Erik attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University(ERAU) in Prescott, AZ for his Bachelors degree and complete flight training. He obtained all his ratings at ERAU from Solo to his Multi-Engine Commercial Instrument. Graduating in 2004, Erik then went to work for Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Delta Connection. After only a year Erik Left the airlines due to Low pay and better opportunities. After a break from flying while obtaining his MBA, growing the Family Business and starting a family, Erik started flying regularly again in 2013. After joining COPA and Renting a SR22 for 6 months, Erik Purchased his first and current Airplane, a 2003 SR22 G1 N609AE in June of 2016. In the 2 years of ownership Erik has accumulated over 350 hours on his Cirrus for both Business and pleasure. Erik is focused on spreading his passion for aviation and aviation safety.

Joining COPA is 2013, Erik has been active on the forums, especially with regards to G1 - G3 air-frame issues, upgrades and avionics. His current positions on your Board of Directors include Vice President, and Migration Chair.

In “Real Life” Erik is a father of 2 Girls, Married to his best friend Danielle since 2009, co-owns and operates the family manufacturing business Ivar's Display in Ontario, California and Shelby, North Carolina. With his Family, Erik lives outside of Los Angeles in Chino Hills, CA and bases his plane at Chino Airport (KCNO).

Erik is currently working on obtaining his CFI so he can continue to spread his passion for aviation to the next generation of pilots.

Board Service Began: October 2018 (COPA Migration)

1st Term: 2018 - 2020

2nd Term: 2020 - 2022

3rd Term: 2022 - 2024

Time Out: COPA Migration 2024