BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jeff Geer - Founder & Chairman
Jeff Geer is an aviator, engineer, and nonprofit leader with more than 40 years of experience in the aviation and telecommunications industries. Since beginning his flying career in 1985, he has logged over 1,500 hours in more than 25 aircraft types, including historic warbirds such as the iconic AT‑6 Texan.
Jeff is the founder and chairman of the BRAVO 369 Flight Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing STEM education, preserving aviation history, and producing historic flight recreations. He also served as president of the GFR Group, a telecommunications design and services firm, bringing technical and leadership expertise to both fields.
A published author and subject-matter expert, Jeff has written numerous articles and white papers for aviation and telecommunications audiences. His work with BRAVO 369 has been featured across radio, television, and print, particularly through the internationally recognized Warplanes to Siberia/ALSIB 2015 project. He is currently writing Warplanes to Siberia, a book that blends his personal aviation experiences with the untold story of Lend‑Lease and the pivotal Alaska–Siberia air route. Jeff also serves as Executive Producer for the companion documentary film, bringing this remarkable chapter of history to life through immersive storytelling and visual media.
Jeff’s vision for BRAVO 369 is rooted in inspiration and impact: “Our mission is to spark dreams, foster a pursuit of excellence, and inspire young minds to reach for the stars. With determination, belief in themselves, and hard work, they can achieve anything they set out to accomplish.” Inspired by the Apollo era and other historic milestones, he is committed to empowering future generations through education, aviation, and community engagement.
This mission is embodied in BRAVO 369’s Flying to Fight Childhood Cancer initiative, which unites aviation with a heartfelt commitment to supporting children battling cancer. Through this program, Jeff and his team highlight the power of giving, advocacy, and community—demonstrating how aviation can uplift lives and create lasting hope.
MATT BOOTY - Board Director
Matt Booty has been with the BRAVO 369 Flight Foundation since 2014. He is the corporate vice president in charge of games at Xbox at Microsoft. Matt was recently promoted to corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios, making him one of the top game executives. Prior to joining Microsoft, he spent close to 20 years at Midway Games in Chicago, where he started out working on hardware, software and game design for arcade pinball and video games. He went on to manage video game production in six studios worldwide and became CEO of Midway in 2008.
Matt was instrumental in securing BRAVO 369’s primary sponsor, Wargaming, as part of the Warplanes to Siberia / ALSIB 2015 project. This gained world-wide recognition for the Foundation and has helped further BRAVO 369’s goals of promoting education, inspiring youth, and improving international relations through historical flight recreation projects. He has degrees from Purdue University in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering as well as a Master of Fine Arts in theatre with a minor in music composition.
Matt is also a world-class photographer specializing in aerial photography and historical aircraft. His photos have been published in numerous aviation publications.
August (Gus) Schaefer - Board Director
August (Gus) Schaefer was Senior Vice President & Public Safety Officer for Underwriters Laboratories Inc. in Northbrook, IL. He retired from UL in February 2014, after a career with the company spanning more than forty years.
As the second Public Safety Officer in UL’s history, Gus worked to expand the UL Public Safety Mission on a global scale. He acted as UL’s public safety guardian, ambassador and advocate both inside and outside the company, and represented UL on major public safety initiatives working closely with UL’s Strategic Business Units and Business Development groups, as well as Regulatory Services, Consumer Affairs and Government Affairs, to ensure that public safety remained a key part of UL's relationship with its clients and other constituents. He also led UL’s Corporate Social Responsibility, corporate giving and community involvement initiatives.
Gus worked in or with almost every part of UL’s business during his time with the company. He began his career 1973 in UL’s Follow-Up Services Division, the part of the company responsible for the ongoing inspection of products that bear the UL Mark, where he eventually rose to the position of Chief Engineer with responsibility for Follow-Up Services operations on a global scale.
In the mid-1990’s Gus was asked to lead UL’s Quality Registration Services (QRS), which encompassed all of the activities associated with management system registration to standards such as ISO-9000, ISO-14000, etc. During his time with the QRS business he also lead a significant reengineering initiative to improve processes, realign the structure, and enhance the ability to serve customers.
In May 1998 Gus was appointed as UL’s first Director of Asian Operations, and in this assignment he was responsible for the expansion of UL’s facilities and staffing throughout the Far East as part of the company’s globalization initiatives. He continued in this position until October 2001, when he was assigned to the role of Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer for UL’s USA operations. In this capacity he was responsible for all of UL’s US operations associated with product testing and certification, follow-up inspections and management system registration. He became UL’s Public Safety Officer in 2004.
Schaefer holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Industrial Engineering from New York University's School of Engineering and Science and a Certificate in Management from Long Island's Adelphi University.
He is a member of the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and he serves on the Board of Directors of Japan America Society of Chicago (JASC) and the Oakton Community College Foundation. He previously had served two terms on the Board of Directors of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Advisory Board for the Center for Supply Chain Studies at St. Louis University. He is also the 2014 recipient of ANSI’s Howard Coonley Award, which is intended to recognize “an executive who has rendered great service to the national economy through voluntary standardization and who has given outstanding support to standardization as a management tool.”
Schaefer has been called upon twice to testify before Congressional Committees, once with respect to the safety of imported products, and the second time to speak about furniture flammability.
Finally, Gus Schaefer s is one of only twenty-eight individuals who have been designated as a “UL Corporate Fellow”, and a member of the William Henry Merrill Society, which is a formal recognition of his many contributions to UL’s public safety mission and the science of safety.