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Precinct A: Dennis O’Donoghue

Position: Vice-Chair
Term: 2024-2025
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Dennis P. O’Donoghue is a retired experimental test pilot with over 40 years of leadership experience in corporate, government, non-profit and military sectors.   In 2013, he founded Celtic Moon Vineyards LLC, a 42-acre vineyard located in the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon.

O’Donoghue held top leadership positions in the aerospace industry, including Director of Flight Operations for Eclipse Aviation Corporation, Vice President of Boeing Test & Evaluation, and Vice President of Engineering for Boeing Defense, Space & Security.   O’Donoghue’s military service included twelve years as a Marine Corps fighter pilot and test pilot.  After leaving active duty, he continued his military service for thirteen more years in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, where he commanded the 728th Airlift Squadron and the 446th Airlift Wing.  He retired in 2005 at the rank of Colonel.

O’Donoghue’s flying career included experimental flight testing with the military, NASA, Eclipse Aviation Corporation and Boeing.  He is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical Society.  O’Donoghue was the recipient of 2010 James H. Doolittle Award and the 2013 Engineer of the Year Award.  In 2018 he was inducted as a Pathfinder by the Museum of Flight, in recognition of a lifetime of pioneering achievement in Aviation.   O’Donoghue holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, M.S. in Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee Space Institute and an MBA from the University of Washington. 

In addition to serving on the MID board, O’Donoghue is a founding member of the Oregon Wine Council, a legislative advocacy organization.  In 2021, he was appointed by the Governor to the nine-member Oregon Wine Board.  

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