There’s been a change at the top at Hope Air, the non-profit group that provides free flights to rural patients who need specialized medical care in major cities. Mark Rubinstein has joined the organization as CEO, succeeding Doug Keller-Hobson, who is retiring after leading Hope Air for many years. Rubinstein was most recently the CEO of Alpine Canada, the national governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Canada. “I am honoured to have been selected as the next CEO of Hope Air. Its purpose and mission – to help Canadians in financial need who must travel to medical care far from home – deeply resonates with me,” he said. “I look forward to working with the Hope Air team, and all of our supporters, donors, volunteers and others, to increase the organization’s impact and help more Canadians in their time of need.”

Rubinstein’s challenge will be to continue the remarkable growth of the organization, which counts many COPA members as volunteer pilots. Although most of the flights arranged by Hope Air are supplied by airline partners, they call on a cadre of general aviation pilots for flights to places that don’t have convenient airline service. Last year, a total of 11,827 flights were arranged for patients, a new record for Hope Air.