Hi everyone!
It has been a crazy few months, to say the least – and we are just getting started! We thought it would be helpful to compile a document with a recent timeline and overview of major concerns being raised regarding the Museum’s management and leadership. Thus far, the Museum has lost approximately 22 people (which includes volunteers and employees) in the past month and a half. When you consider that the Museum had about 30 dedicated workers in total, it shows the impact of recent events.
This is not an exhaustive list, nor is it finalized. It is a living document, and we will continually add to it and modify it as needed. We know this is a lot of information, and it barely scratches the surface!
Please note – these are opinions and thoughts, based on research, available information, and witness statements; however, statements made here are a matter of opinion only. If there are factual errors, please let us know and we will rectify them immediately. We are not accusing anyone of any crimes, misconduct, etc.; we are asking questions, pointing out issues that are concerning, and would love nothing more than to get clarification to put our fears to rest. Our only goal is to save the integrity of the Museum.
Ok, onward and upward!
TIMELINE OF RECENT EVENTS:
October 9, 2025
Three long-time museum employees were informed that they were being fired: Collections manager Sherry Ziegler, archivist Karla Conte, and restoration assistant Tryston O’Toole.
Jeff Houlihan, director of collections, curation, and restoration (for 16 years) had his budget slashed over 65%; no other section at the museum were reduced. He resigned in protest, as well as Security supervisor, Mikey Diaz.
Mikey Diaz had been a volunteer at March Air Field Museum since 2009, shortly after he retired from LAPD. He was hired as an event assistant, which evolved into Head of Security for the museum. On October 7th, Jamil requested that Mikey come into the office on October 9th to participate in a TV interview about being a Vet. When he arrived, he learned that, in truth, there was to be no interview, but he was there instead to assist in the removal of staff who had been terminated or resigned that day. In Mikey's words:
"I resigned because I am heart broken and devastated. Heart broken, because the museum represents to me the best of our country, its veterans, their sacrifices, and promises kept to the nation. In the exhibits, the countless "thank you for this place," the times veterans cried, as did their families, on hearing a story or seeing an exhibit that brought it all home for them, I saw our veterans and our history honored. I saw what it meant to Vietnam Vets and their families when the "Wall That Heals" was displayed here. I could go on, after all, 16 years here.
Devastated yes, because of what one man, Jeff Houlihan, with foresight, commitment and the guts did to transform the museum from a shallow hole in the wall to what you see today. JEFF IS THE MUSEUM! I would come to work in the morning only to find him sitting on the floor in front of a blank wall. Shortly there after, one hell of an exhibit would be built and then on to the next. Who is going to write letters of recommendation for our young volunteers? Jeff wrote many letters of recommendation for colleges, the military, jobs? (Stanford, Berkeley, the military academies, police departments, and the list goes on.) We helped those young folks.
This is what Jamil wants to destroy. Jamil told me it was because the board wanted to save money to put toward building hangars to house the museum's aircraft. My last weekend, October 11the and 12 was a crying session for me. On Saturday, I sat at my desk looking at the empty desks belonging to Jeff and Sherry. I cried. I walked the museum looking at the exhibits knowing they would either be taken down or modified to suit the "new guy." These are some of the reasons why I resigned. I want folks to understand that Jamil and the board have no idea what the museum stands for and that $$$ means more to them than what the museum means to the locals, to the nation and with the expanded numbers of foreign visitors, to the world."
October 17, 2025:
Museum management held a meeting; attendees described a packed room where leadership mentioned a revised mission and plans to eliminate the archives and sell selected aircraft and artifacts to fund a new building called the “Dada Memorial Hangar.” Many volunteers expressed strong concern, especially about the loss of staff and the future of the museum’s collection.
According to people at the meeting, Board President Jamil Dada and Vice-President Mel Gutierrez discussed eliminating the archives, downsizing the collection and selling aircraft, such as Doug Berger, who wrote the following:
“I was at that meeting, and the subject of too many aircraft was discussed. I have volunteered at the museum for 20+ years, and quality of the displays are 1000% improved. A display on my dad was done showing how many military personnel were killed before even leaving England, My Dad was KIA 6 June 1944 in England (DDAY). I have seen women with tears in their eyes viewing this display. That is only one of many recent displays done at the museum. The volunteers at that meeting were very upset with the way things were done. The volunteers have a wide range of experience in business, military. law, and education. None were asked for input.”
Cal Matters Articles: October 15 and 21, 2025:
Cal Matters reported that the Board's President, Jamil Dada, cited financial difficulty as the reason for the terminations; he did not respond to requests for comment.
The reporter's numerous attempts to reach representatives from the museum also went unanswered.
Board member and volunteer James Roever disputed claim financial claims, stating that the museum had a net surplus of $140,000 in the 2023 fiscal year and that the board was not consulted prior to the terminations. “The board had no knowledge of it whatsoever,” Roever said. “It was never brought up in the meetings I’m in. It just came in on a Thursday morning.”
November 6, 2025: Richard Lemire’s Post
Richard Lemire, the Board’s Secretary, posted what appeared to be the museum’s official response on Facebook, sharing it across multiple community groups, entitled “MARCH FIELD AIR MUSEUM RESPONDS TO FALSE SOCIAL MEDIA STATEMENTS." The post dismissed the criticism as inaccurate and inflammatory, attributing it to a “disgruntled former employee” and a “terminated former executive director.” However, Mr. Lemire did not clarify his role or whether he was speaking on behalf of Board President, the Board of Directors, or the museum itself.
Lemire’s post claims the museum is “not facing financial difficulty.” But Lemire’s post says the collections staff was cut to redirect funds toward hiring a qualified executive director. Also of note, in an October 9 email obtained by CalMatters, Dada wrote of “recent budget shortfalls.” You can’t claim financial strength while privately citing shortfalls and restructuring staff to afford a director’s salary.
Lemire’s post denies any shift in mission, claiming events only supplement the museum’s educational goals. But volunteers told CalMatters that Dada and Vice President Mel Gutierrez discussed downsizing the aircraft collection and expanding event space.
SOME CONCERNS:
1. Bylaws Schmylaws? According to current board members, the foundation’s bylaws require board approval for staffing changes. The bypassing of this process raises serious governance concerns. The following practices have been cited as concerns:
Taking actions without prior board approval
Removing executive board members before their terms were up
Adding/changing executive committee members without prior board approval
Forming committees without prior board approval
The Collections Committee’s formation being out of compliance with the museum’s bylaws, industry standards or past practices. The Collection Committee’s formation was without board participation.
Committee members and chairs were personally chosen without board consultation or approval. No staff subject matter experts were placed on the committees
Failing to remove board members who do not attend meetings
The Presidents acts without approval of the Board of Directors as required by the Bylaws.
Adversarial board meetings/not open and free to exchange ideas
Executive Committee Members have been removed by an email from the President without prior approval by the Board of Directors.
2. Term Limits for the Board and Leadership?
It has been reported that when the American Alliance of Museums was doing their initial review process for accreditation purposes, they noted the lack of term limits for board members. According to witnesses, Mr. Dada, at a subsequent board meeting, made the recommendation for three-year term limits; it was seconded and then passed unanimously. However, Mr. Dada quickly recommended that the board “grandfather” in all existing members with no term limits. Obviously, this “workaround” was passed unanimously. The board is made up of people who have been there for decades – not to mention that Mr. Dada has been President of the Board for over 24 years.
3. Why So Secret?
Earlier this month, one current board member sent Mr. Dada at least two emails, advising him that he and another current board member will be at the Museum on November 8, 2025 at 8:00am to inspect the following documents: The proposed employment contracts for the director being considered for the Museum, resumes of applicants for the position, background checks for the position, along with copies of current budgets, bylaws, and a key to the facility.
Mr. Dada changed the date to one more conducive to his schedule, greatly inconveniencing the board members; they rearranged their schedules, however, and went to meet with him. Yet, when they approached the Museum on that day, they were confronted with Mr. Dada, the board of director’s Vice President, and their attorney. Mr. Dada outright refused to hand over any documents, refused to allow them to inspect documents to which they were entitled as board members interested in fulfilling their statutory fiduciary responsibility. Mr. Dada claimed that all the documents were confidential personnel issues and sent them away empty-handed.
The board of directors had their most recent meeting on November 20, 2025. The bylaws do not state that the meetings are to be closed, but members of the public were blocked from entering the property, with the front gate guarded by armed private security. At this meeting, a document was passed out, a "confidentiality agreement" which included a veritable "loyalty pledge" to Mr. Dada.
Also of note, at the November 20, 2025 Board Meeting, a $30,000 expenditure for the purposes of creating a new gate was approved, despite claims of financial issues necessitating the termination of employees.
4. Paperwork
The most recent tax filing we could find was from 2023. The Museum is not up to date with their filing requirements. On May 2, 2025, the Museum received correspondence from the State of California Department of Justice entitled “DELINQUENCY NOTICE AND WARNING OF ASSESSMENT OF PENALTIES AND LATE FEES, AND SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF REGISTERED STATUS.”
Note: An organization that is listed as delinquent is not in good standing and is prohibited from engaging in conduct for which registration is required, including soliciting or disbursing charitable funds. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 11, § 312.) The organization may also be subject to penalties and its registration may be suspended or revoked by the Registry.
On October 31, 2025, the Museum received a follow up correspondence, as they had failed to cure the deficiencies outlined earlier this year. The Department of Justice wrote that “[i]n advance of launching a new online filing service in 2026, the Registry offered the following one-time option for curing this delinquent registration: effective October 31, 2025, the Registry has temporarily (until January 15, 2026) changed the Museum’s registration status from Delinquent to "Current Reporting Incomplete." The Museum’s status will remain "Current" only if the organization corrects the issues outlined in the previous correspondence.”
As a note, if a registration has been continuously suspended for one year, it will be automatically revoked. If this happens, the registrant has to provide within 30 days an accounting of all charitable assets in its possession, custody or control for 180 days prior to the effective date of the order or period of time specified in the order. The Attorney General may require an accounting of all charitable assets received, held or distributed by the registrant for a period of up to 10 years prior to the effective date of the revocation. The registrant will be prohibited from distributing or expending any charitable assets without written approval of the Attorney General and may be directed to distribute some or all of its charitable assets subject to charitable trust to another charitable organization or into a blocked account.
Hopefully, the Museum will fix these issues soon.
5. The New Director:
The Board voted in a new director at their November 20, 2025 meeting: Mike Ellzey. We do not know Mr. Ellzey personally and wish him well in his new position. There are, however, concerns about his qualifications for this role, controversies arising out of his prior positions, and questions about what his selection means for the future of the museum.
San Francisco: He ran a parking garage project in Golden Gate Park where millions went missing. His CFO was convicted of embezzling $3.9 million and went to prison. Ellzey wasn’t charged. Critics say he misrepresented how the project was funded. This is not an accusation, just an explanation of information found about Mr. Ellzey when researching his previous positions.
Irvine’s Great Park: He became CEO of the Great Park project, which started with $240 million to turn the old El Toro Marine base into a huge public park. By 2010, only $19 million was left, and the “park” was basically a balloon ride and some landscaping. Ellzey was not charged or accused of financial wrongdoing, and he was one of many people involved in this ongoing drama. However, the issues surrounding the Great Park are legendary, and the mere mention of the Great Park and its management is disconcerting for many long term residents of Southern California.
Nixon Library: Later, he was appointed director of the Nixon Presidential Library. That stirred controversy because he had no background in history or archives, unlike most presidential library directors. It wasn’t a scandal, but people questioned the choice.
Now at March Field: The museum is already in crisis — longtime staff gone, only one professional left to care for more than 100 planes and thousands of artifacts.
SOME OPINIONS AND OBSERVATIONS:
Contradictory messaging: At an Oct. 17 volunteer meeting, attendees reported that President Dada and Vice President Mel Gutierrez discussed eliminating archives and selling aircraft. Yet the board’s Nov. 6 statement denied such plans. This inconsistency undermines trust.
Governance Transparency: Mr. Lemire admitted that executive committee decisions were not shared with the full board, citing confidentiality breaches. However, Mr. Lemire also defended the executive committee’s authority, stating that committees act under board direction and no bylaws were violated. Mr. Dada said terminations were approved “by the board,” but refused to clarify whether by the board or the executive committee. Other board members told CalMatters they were not informed of the terminations, and critics alleged bylaw violations, including unauthorized committees and premature removal of board members. The contradiction is whether governance authority was properly exercised or improperly bypassed.
Finances: Stable or Struggling? Mr. Lemire has insisted the museum is financially strong, pointing to clean audits and donor‑restricted funds. He described only a challenge in offering a competitive salary for a new executive director. Dada, however, has contradicted this narrative. In interviews, he said staff terminations were not economic, yet in an Oct. 9 email he cited “budget shortfalls” and told volunteers the museum was in financial trouble. The Gazette emphasized sustainability through reallocation, while CalMatters underscored the inconsistency. The contradiction is stark: is the museum financially stable, or quietly struggling?
The Fate of the Collections: Mr. Lemire explained that collections staff were cut because their work was temporarily paused, with no plans to sell aircraft or close archives. Dada declined to discuss archives, while volunteers reported hearing that downsizing of the plane collection was necessary. Former curator Jeff Houlihan resigned in protest, believing collections were being dismantled. Critics echo concerns that archives could be eliminated. The overlap is that all sides acknowledge collections are central to the museum’s identity; the contradiction is whether staff cuts represent a pause or a dismantling.
Events vs. Mission Focus: Mr. Lemire denied that events were overtaking the museum’s mission, insisting aircraft and preservation remain the “heart and soul” of the institution. He described events as supplemental revenue streams. Yet Mr. Dada’s Oct. 9 email emphasized expanding banquet and event facilities as a major priority, noting events are “very much in demand” and a key source of revenue. CalMatters highlighted this shift, while the Gazette acknowledged events as part of revenue but framed them as secondary. The contradiction is whether events are supplemental or increasingly central to the museum’s financial strategy.
What This Reveals About Leadership: Taken together, these contradictions reveal a leadership crisis. The board is fragmented, with Mr. Dada and Mr. Lemire offering inconsistent explanations. Leadership appears defensive, dismissing critics rather than engaging with concerns. Governance practices are opaque, raising questions about accountability. And the emphasis on events and revenue, coupled with cuts to collections staff, suggests possible mission drift. Most damaging of all, the trust gap between leadership and the community is widening, as insiders and volunteers report hearing different things than what the board publicly claims.
Questions That Must Be Answered: This situation raises urgent questions: Is the museum financially stable or facing shortfalls? Are archives and aircraft truly safe, or will downsizing occur despite denials? Was the curator role preserved or eliminated? Are events supplemental or central to the mission? Did the executive committee act within its bylaws, or were decisions made without proper approval? And perhaps most importantly, how will leadership rebuild trust with staff, volunteers, and the public?
