J. Bradford Tillson
Chair of Inventing Flight
He serves on The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission
Commission in his capacity as chair of Inventing Flight, a Dayton-based
organization planning a series of activities celebrating the centennial of powered
flight in 2003.
Tillson is a native of Paris, Texas, but grew up mostly in New
Bedford, Massachusetts.He graduated from the Loomis School in Windsor,
Connecticut, in 1962 and received his bachelor of arts degree from
Denison University in Granville, Ohio, in 1966. Tillson served in
the United States Navy from 1966 until 1969 including three tours
with Commander, Carrier Division One, in the Vietnam War Zone. After
two years as a reporter with the Charlotte (N.C.) News, Tillson
joined the Dayton Daily News in 1971.He held a variety of reporting
and editing positions and was named Editor of the newspaper in 1984
and Publisher in 1988. He was named President and CEO of Cox Ohio
Publishing in 1996. Cox Ohio Publishing has annual revenues of more
than $130 million, more than 1,400 employees and includes the Dayton
Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and two distribution companies.It
is owned by Atlanta-based Cox Newspapers.In addition to Inventing
Flight, Tillson serves as chair of the Miami Valley Economic Development
Coalition and treasurer of the Ohio Newspaper Association.He is
a past chair of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and The Dayton
Art Institute.
Tillson is married to the former Cynthia Wornom.He has two children,
a son John living in Colorado and a daughter Karen living in Michigan.