MyNextSeason

Look before you leap

As I neared retirement from American Airlines, I was uncertain about what I would do next. I loved my career; I felt young and energetic, and yet, I was ready for a change. There were a lot of voices around me suggesting what they thought I should do—and I didn’t want to jump into something I would regret. The three priorities that mattered most to me were spending time with my family, focusing on my health, and partnering with my wife, Gwen, to tackle an issue near and dear to our hearts.

Called to Action

One frustration that deeply bothered me during my career: less than 4% of all commercial pilots are persons of color and only 7% are female. You don’t even need a college degree to get a pilot’s license, but you do need about $100k to attend flight school, which can be incredibly difficult to afford. You also need to know this career path is even an available to you, —which is, perhaps, the biggest challenge of all. We’re in the midst of a critical pilot shortage and we’re not going to have the best of the best if some prospects face barriers to a career they don’t even know is available to them. Gwen and I decided to take a run at removing those barriers for future pilots fully capable and interested.

Easier said than done

We started to put together a strategy for scholarships, mentorship, and awareness, but quickly realized we needed help. A friend who funds nonprofits called me and said, “You can’t do it yourself. You’ve got to hire a CEO. You have to get infrastructure in place.” That’s when we hired Dana Donati, who was running United Airline’s training program, and I don’t know what we’d do without her. As an industry expert rather than a non-profit leader, she had to learn how 501c3s work, but she’s really smart and figured it out. She knows the process of becoming a commercial pilot backward and forward, and that’s what mattered most to us.

What’s in a name?
We decided to call our new nonprofit “Breaking Down Barriers.” There is nothing in the title about pilots or aviation, so I really didn’t think we were going to name it that. But whenever I explained it, that’s where I started. Dana said, “then that’s the right name.” We can always talk to people about how it’s a piloting experience, but what we want to start with is how we break down the barriers to becoming one. There are all these kids out there with enormous potential who don’t get to recognize it because of those barriers.

The power of diverse perspectives

Gwen has always been an amazing thought partner and, through her connections, we found a dynamic group of leaders in the Black community to join the board. As we met with them, one told us, “The biggest problem you’re going to have is that nobody’s going to believe you.” He said a lot of organizations come in and say, “we’re going to send you to college!” and parents are skeptical because they’ve been lied to in the past. It’s our job to convince them they can take us at our word.

Starting small, starting right

As we get started, Gwen and I chose to personally fund the program along with a generous gift from American Airlines. Eventually, we’ll need to raise money, but for now we are telling folks who want to help “we’ll find you when we need you.” We want to scale it the right way, which is the hard part. We need to have concrete plans on how to expand and operate more efficiently than five team members running around trying to raise awareness, so we’re not in a huge rush. The blessing is everybody we talk to about it wants to help, including many pilots interested in mentoring the students. Something about it resonates with them. As we learn, we’ll grow.

The sky’s the limit

I am amazed by this first group of students. They are so excited! This is somewhat embarrassing to admit given what my job was, but I didn’t fully appreciate how hard it is to become a pilot—how hard these students really have to work. They’re all working other jobs, but then they put in six hours a day of studying. The expectation is that in just a few years they’ll become pilots for major airlines.

A season of purpose

It’s been an incredibly rewarding new season for Gwen and I. I’m also enjoying advising potential CEOs and serving on the board of Quantas Airlines, which allows Gwen and I to explore Australia. I am truly fulfilled helping address an issue important to both our industry and our communities. This isn’t about my legacy; this is about solving a problem. Barriers exist all over the place and I know I can’t fix them all, but I know about this one. This is something I can help people fix.

For more information about Breaking Down Barriers, go to www.breakingdownbarriers.org.