Balloon Fiesta Announces Chief Officials Overseeing Flight Operations
Albuquerque, NM – Chief officials have been announced for the 2025 ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® – all volunteer positions in which officials will play an integral role in ensuring the success of the 53rd annual Balloon Fiesta event.
More than 3,000 volunteers, in a variety of capacities, present throughout Balloon Fiesta Park, are needed to produce the nine-day ballooning event each year. Their work begins months before the first balloon is sighted floating in the October sky, and they share a wide variety of skills and talents on the field and in the Balloon Fiesta offices. Most of these important team members have been volunteering for a number of years and play various important roles during the event. This includes the Balloon Fiesta’s Chief Officials.
The 2025 flight operations will be led by this experienced team:
Balloonmeister – Henry Rosenbaum
Henry Rosenbaum is from Hanover, Virginia and has held a commercial pilot’s license since 1990, with over 1,600 hours of flying. Henry retired from Henrico County Division of Fire, with 40 years of service in EMS, Fire and Law Enforcement. He has been with Fiesta’s flight operations team since 2014 and will return in 2025 as Balloonmeister for his sixth year.
Assistant Balloonmeister – Tom Bueno
Tom Bueno is a long-time Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta volunteer with over 35 years serving in many capacities, including Chief Launch Official, Launch Director, Flight Safety Official and Chief Flight Safety Official. Tom enjoys piloting, crewing and volunteering to support the greater hot air ballooning community. He is a member of the Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association and the Balloon Federation of America. He retired as an Engineer, Program Manager and 2024 national STEM award recipient.
Chief of Safety – Mike Garcia
Mike Garcia serves as the Chief of Safety for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, bringing over 15 years of piloting experience to the role. A commercial hot air balloon pilot since 2009, Mike is the proud owner of three balloons and has been an active participant in the Fiesta for more than a decade. His deep knowledge of ballooning and unwavering commitment to safety help ensure a secure and successful event for pilots, crews, and spectators alike.
Assistant Chief of Safety – Alex Jonard
Alex has been involved in ballooning since 1985, when he served as a BFA Observer at the Coshocton (Ohio) Balloon Races. He earned his Private Pilot’s License in 1987 and Commercial Rating in 1989 and has worked for a repair station in the past. Alex joined the AIBF Flight Safety Officials team in 2017 and has continued each year thereafter, sharing the knowledge he has gained over the years to enhance the safety of the event and the larger ballooning community. Alex’s wife, Monica, is also an LTA pilot. They currently reside in Sycamore, IL.
Chief of Weather – Don Day, Jr.
Don Day Jr. is president and chief meteorologist of DayWeather, Inc., a Cheyenne, WY based weather forecasting/consulting firm. For over 30 years, Don and his DayWeather meteorologists have provided customized broadcast weather services to over 70 radio stations across the west as well as specializing in weather forecasting and analysis for stratospheric balloons, airships, and very high-altitude experiments.
Don was the chief meteorologist for Felix Baumgartner’s record and groundbreaking Red Bull Stratos Stratospheric sky dive (2012) and was also chief meteorologist for Google’s Alan Eustace stratospheric jump in 2014 (Stratex). Don was also the lead weather adviser for skydiver Luke Aikins’ “Heaven Sent – No Parachute Jump” Fox Network 2016, as well as weather advisor/producer for Magician David Blaine’s Ascension (YouTube 2020).
Don has been featured in the documentaries “Mission to the Edge of Space – Red Bull Stratos” 2013 and “14 Minutes to Earth” 2016 and the “Great Balloon Bomb Invasion for the Discovery Channel (2022). Don is a private-rated hot air balloon pilot.
Chief of Launch – Michelle Healy
Michelle began her volunteer journey as a Launch Director in 1992, eventually rising to the role of Chief of Launch. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree and has dedicated her career to working with credit unions, spanning 31 years across two institutions. Michelle is married to her husband, Sean, whom she met at Balloon Fiesta in 2002 and married in September 2003. Michelle feels lucky to have three children and three grandchildren who keep her busy. Michelle has always cherished the Balloon Fiesta and looks forward to reconnecting with friends and witnessing the awe of new guests as they experience the magic of balloons up close.
Assistant Chief of Launch – Chris Padilla
Chris is happily retired and has been married to his lovely wife, Karen, for 43 years. Chris has been involved with Balloon Fiesta as a Launch Director for over 20 years and is currently the Assistant Chief of Launch. When not volunteering for Balloon Fiesta, Chris loves to travel and spend quality time with his family.
Chief of Scoring – Rita Brennan
Rita’s love for Balloon Fiesta started in 1994 when she met her husband, a launch director, and they have attended every year – with the exception of one, when she gave birth to her son on October 4. Rita has been a volunteer on the scoring team since 2007 and has eagerly awaited when her children were old enough to crew. Rita became Assistant Chief of Scoring in 2015 and advanced to Chief of Scoring in 2023.
Chief of Landowner Relations – Nancy Wertz
Nancy started as a volunteer with the Launch Team in 1996. In 2017, Nancy was asked to put together the Landowner Relations Team. Today, the team is committed to making Balloon Fiesta a positive experience for both the community, the pilots and their crew.
“Each year, we are reminded of the hard work and dedication of thousands of volunteers that make the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta not only possible, but exceptional. Announcing this year’s Chief Officers marks another exciting milestone in bringing the Balloon Fiesta to fruition for hundreds of thousands of attendees,” said Julie Morgas Baca, Executive Director of AIBF. “As we welcome new and returning guests for the exciting 53rd annual event, I look forward to working alongside these passionate volunteers to create a memorable, safe, and informative experience for AIBF attendees.”