The Board members of the DeKalb County Airport Authority are appointed by the DeKalb County Commissioners and serve a 4 year term with no term limits. Appointments are staggered so that not more than 2 new Board members would begin their term at the same time.
Airport Authority Board President, Jess Myers
Jess graduated from Heritage High School (Monroeville Indiana) in 1974. Jess studied 2 years at Ball State University, and 1 year at IPFW before hiring in at Dana Corporation in Fort Wayne in June of 1976 where he has been employed for 38 years. At Dana Corporation he has been involved in negotiating 5 of their labor contracts as a member of United Steel Workers Union. Jess also served 10 years on the Auburn City Park Board, 10 years on the Auburn City Plan Commission, and 2 years as a Girls Volleyball Coach at DeKalb High School. His hobbies include any University of Tennessee sports, and Golf. Jess has been married to his wife Brenda for 33 years and they reside in Auburn Indiana. They have 2 sons and 3 grandchildren.
Airport Authority Vice President, Jerry Korchyk
Jerry Korchyk graduated from Northrop High School in Fort Wayne Indiana in 1980 and studied Computer Science at IPFW before entering into a newly formed family owned business, Sowles Bay Marina, near Angola. Jerry began his career in sales, moved into mechanical repair and became a certified Mercury Outboard and MerCruiser sterndrive service technician, eventually advancing to Service Manager and then Business Operations Manager. For the past 18 years, Jerry has held a rewarding career in Information Technology at Tempus Technologies in Auburn, Indiana, where he is responsible for Data Center Operations and Maintenance. In his free time, Jerry is serving his 9th year as treasurer on the board of the Auburn Area Kiwanis Club. He is also serving his 17th year on the board of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren as Steward and treasurer. His hobbies include home maintenance, theater tech, travel, and golf. Jerry and his wife, Susan, have been married for 22 years. They live in Auburn Indiana and they have two daughters.
Airport Authority Secretary, Randy Fox
Randy Fox was born in Detroit, Michigan immigrating to Auburn Indiana in 1967. Following graduation from DeKalb High School in 1970, he attended IPFW for two years as a Biology Major. He was married in 1974 to Lori Raub of Auburn; she taught at Riverdale Elementary, St. Joe, Indiana for 38 years, they have one son. Randy and Lori were members of Act 1 and are members of Auburn Actors Theater, served as lifeguards at the Auburn Community Pool and each earned their Black Belt in Karate. Randy worked for Essex International for 4 years and, following EMT Training, was hired by DeKalb Memorial Hospital Emergency Medical Service where he held every position within the service including Basic EMT, Advanced EMT, Emergency Paramedic, Training Officer, Assistant Director and EMS Director for the last 20 of his 38 years with EMS, retiring in 2014. Randy represented EMS as a commissioner of the Indiana Integrated Public Safety Communications committee for 10 years and was part of the committee that developed the DeKalb County Central Communications / 911 facility. He is a licensed private pilot; a PADI certified open water SCUBA diver, served as the course coordinator for the second regional Advanced Life Support Training program at Lutheran Hospital, was elected for two consecutive terms to the office of DeKalb County Coroner, served on the board of directors of the Indiana Ambulance Association and served two years as president of the association. In retirement he is providing technical assistance to Bowers Engineering Services of Auburn and PowerBlast, LLC of Wolcottville.
Airport Authority Member, John Chalmers
John graduated from Findlay High School (Findlay, Ohio). He graduated with a BS Electrical Engineering at the University of Toledo. He then attended Bowling Green State University where he completed an MBA. His credentials before retirement included being a registered professional engineer, American Society for Quality Certified Quality Engineer, and American Society for Quality Certified Reliability Engineer. During his career, John worked in technical, technical management, purchasing management, and quality management positions retiring as Vice President Quality for Ashley Industrial Molding, a company which he was a co-founder.
John’s is a co-founder of the DeKalb Outdoor Theater (Auburn, IN) and has served as Board President since its inception. John is an active amateur radio operator who holds an Extra Class Amateur radio license and is currently President of the Northeastern Indiana Amateur Radio Association. John is a trombone player in the Auburn Community Band, the Brass Cords Ensemble (brass quintet), and Little Big Band.
John and his wife Cheryl attend Saint Andrew Evangelical Presbyterian Church. John and Cheryl have been married for 53 years and have 3 daughters and 11 grandchildren.