STEVE CHARLESON
The Chief Executive Officer of the Alabama Phoenix Festival is Steve Charleson. Steve graduated from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 1994 with a BS in Aerospace Engineering. After graduation, he began work as a Project Engineer for Cedrus, a small R&D ceramic engineering firm in central Missouri, where he worked on product development and production set-up. In 2000 he went to work as a project engineer with Ozark Aircraft Systems in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he developed process control documents and oversaw the FAA flammability certification of VIP and corporate aircraft. He moved to Alabama in 2002 when he went to work for Cotney Aerospace. Currently he is the Manager of the Interiors Group where he works to ensure cabin safety and crashworthiness of multiple types of commercial and VIP aircraft.
Steve has always been avid Science Fiction and Fantasy fan, being at a very impressionable age when Star Wars first came out. A good Saturday morning was building spaceships with LEGOs while watching cartoons. These were typically ruined when some sporting event would keep the local station from showing Star Trek after lunch. He was reading Asimov’s robot novels and Lord of the Rings by fourth grade.
Steve enjoys watching anything that is smartly written. This doesn’t take up much time since smart shows rarely last long. *cough* Firefly, *cough* Middle Man. Other hobbies include collecting books and comics. He is really looking forward to retiring someday so he can have a chance to actually read all of them.
TIM STACKS 
Chief Operations Officer of the Alabama Phoenix Festival is Tim Stacks. Tim graduated Wallace State College in 1996 with a degree in Music Education, with a principle in Piano and secondary in Voice. Shortly after, he transferred to Auburn University where he graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. Directly after graduation, he began work as a Project Engineer for Cotney Aerospace, located in Helena, Alabama where he has worked since. Currently, and for the past four years, he has held the title of Manager of the Structures Group where he oversees engineers in the development and FAA certification of various types of analysis, repairs, and modifications to aircraft structures.
Tim enjoys watching his favorite science fiction television series as well as anything on the Science Channel. He enjoys expanding his mind by learning and dabbling with new hobbies (such as chainmail weaving, leathercraft, photography, prop-making, and costuming); however, he mostly enjoys reading. However, he values most the time spent at home with his wife of 9 years and their two beagles, Henry and Stella.
