The Air Force Museum Foundation, Dayton, Ohio, has appointed Seth R. Baron as its new chief executive officer, with his appointment scheduled to take effect on June 8, 2026. The foundation, which serves as the fundraising and awareness partner for the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, said the appointment follows a search process led by its Board of Trustees. The search focused on finding a leader with nonprofit experience, fundraising expertise, and a background in organizational growth. Melinda Lawrence, who has served as acting CEO and Director of Retail since October 2025, will remain in her role as Director of Retail.
Baron will take over leadership of an organization that has supported the museum since its incorporation in 1960. According to the foundation, it has contributed nearly $100 million to projects supporting both the museum and the Department of the Air Force, including funding most of the museum’s indoor exhibit space and contributing more than $1 million annually toward programs in recent years. “We are excited to welcome Mr. Seth Baron to the Foundation. His extensive leadership in the not-for-profit arena and passion for the military make him an exceptional fit for the CEO position. His success and experience will bring innovative ideas and strategies to the partnership with the Museum. I look forward to him advancing our shared goals,” said Trish Young, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Air Force Museum Foundation.
Before joining the foundation, Baron worked as a vice president at Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, overseeing operations across Georgia and the southeastern United States. During his time there, he was involved in fundraising efforts, donor outreach, foundation partnerships, board engagement, and emergency campaigns supporting military personnel and families. “I am honored and excited to join the Air Force Museum Foundation as CEO, and I am grateful to the Executive Committee and Search Committee of the Board of Trustees for their confidence,” said Baron.
“The opportunity to support the National Museum of the United States Air Force is both meaningful and inspiring, and I look forward to working with the Foundation team, Museum leadership, the Board, and the Dayton community to advance the mission and strengthen the Foundation’s impact.” Museum leadership also welcomed the appointment. “Mr. Baron has a strong and effective history of working successfully in the not-for-profit arena. He has strong family connections to the military services and has already expressed several thoughtful ideas about how the Museum and the Foundation can work even better together. I am looking forward to collaborating with him and improving on the already strong partnership between our organizations,” said David Tillotson, Director of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. One of the foundation’s major projects moving forward is fundraising for a redesign of the museum’s Missile Gallery. The updated gallery is planned as an immersive exhibit examining how military missile technology contributed to the development of America’s space program, particularly during the Cold War and Space Race era. For more information and to support the Air Force Museum Foundation, click on this link: airforcemuseumfoundation.org.
Dear Director Tillotson, CEO Baron. (or National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Staff),
I am following up on the letter I sent on the 7th of this month, as I have not yet received a response. For your convenience, I have attached a copy of that initial letter.
As flight availability is tightening quickly for our five-person delegation, we would greatly appreciate your assistance in confirming our visit date. Could you also please provide an alternative or designated Point of Contact (POC) at NMUSAF with whom we can coordinate the remaining logistical and administration details ?
Thank you very much for your time and assistance with this matter.
V/R,
Tsai-Mai “Mike” Tien
Retired Lieutenant General, R.O.C. Air Force ( from Taiwan )
Attached letter ( August 7, 2026 )
Dear Director Tillotson and to whom it may concern :
First, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tsai-Mai “Mike” Tien, and I am a retired Lieutenant General from the Republic of China (R.O.C.) Air Force in Taiwan. Your contact information was kindly shared with me by my good friend Douglas Birkey, who works for the AFA in D.C..
As you may know our Air Force flew the U-2 during the Cold War era, during which we tragically lost ten brave pilots, several of whom were shot down by the PRC’s SA-2 surface-to-air missiles. Because of this shared history, we are planning a future U-2 exhibition at our museum in Taiwan. As part of our preparations, we plan to visit the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (NMUSAF) to study the technical, logistical, shipping, and documentation procedures involved in displaying such an aircraft.
Furthermore, as you may know, our Air Force and the Taoyuan City Government are working together on a project to bring a decommissioned U-2 airframe from the United States to Taiwan. The aircraft will be displayed at the former Taoyuan Air Base, where our U-2 squadron was stationed during the Cold War. The base has now been transferred to the jurisdiction of the Taoyuan City Government.
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the Taoyuan City Government is planning an official visit to the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) at Wright-Patterson AFB during the time-frame of October 8–9 of this year. Prior to that visit, the mayor has asked me to lead an advance team to NMUSAF to discuss the technical and administrative aspects of the project. Our recommended agenda will include policy matters, institutional responsibilities, disassembly and reassembly, budgeting, transportation, site surveys, U.S. Government approval for parts and related items, contracts, CETS, and other relevant issues.
We truly hope that through this visit, our team can learn valuable lessons and gain experiences from your colleagues, which will benefit our future projects. But I am unsure whether this visiting schedule is suitable for your office. If these dates are mutually agreeable, could you kindly provide an appropriate point of contact (POC) at NMUSAF to facilitate further communication between our two sides?
Please let us know if you have any questions related to this key issue. We always welcome your response, and we hope to keep in touch and meet with you this coming October.
Warmest regards to you all,
Tsai-Mai “Mike” Tien
Retired Lieutenant General, R.O.C. Air Force ( Taiwan )