Objective
Seeking to apply my experience to the future challenges of the airline industry
I am a 27-year multi-faceted Airline industry executive and strategy leader with Fortune 500 experience at an airline, avionics and aircraft systems manufacturer, datalink service provider, and two GDS’, launching new products and systems and guiding key corporate initiatives. I am seeking a new role applying my broad-based experience to future challenges facing the airline industry, including green aviation, airspace management modernization and IATA New Distribution Capability initiatives.
My background includes flight operations, engineering and avionics systems experience with Delta Air Lines. I am a former AEEC Voting Member representing Delta, and have been a member of numerous ICAO, IATA, RTCA, and AEEC standards committees. I have been repeatedly recognized as a motivational and effective leader for technical, product management, and business development teams. I have extensive experience with internal and external C-level presentations, customer presentations, and international business development. I am a recognized expert in international commercial and contract negotiations, closing deals in over 40 countries on 5 continents. In my business pursuits I have traveled to China over 50 times over the course of 8 years, working with TravelSky, Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern. I earned a MBA in Strategic Management from Georgia State University.
Experience
cOLLINS AEROSPACE, atlanta, GA ASSOCIATE Director, STRATEGIC PLANNING
NOVEMBER 2019 - SEPTEMBER 2023
Led corporate strategic planning for Collins Aerospace in the areas of electrified aircraft, cabin experience, connected ecosystem, and "green aviation" subject areas, including smart aircraft technologies, high-speed air-ground communications, electrified aircraft systems, advanced manufacturing and materials, and hydrogen power. Also, the lead strategist for Collins Strategic Development for Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Aeronautical Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) market strategy.
Launched the Collins Aerospace Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiative.
Led four of the “Big 7” Collins Strategic Initiative teams (at different times) – Advanced Structures, Cabin Experience, Connected Ecosystem/Connected Aircraft, and the Electrified Aircraft/Propulsion teams.
Built and maintained strategic relationships with customers, competitors, suppliers and professional organizations to stay abreast of industry or business trends.
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FLIGHT SOLUTIONS CONSULTING, atlanta, GA FOUNDER
JANUARY 2019 - NOVEMBER 2019
Providing consulting and advisory services to help address future challenges facing the airline industry across a range of subjects, including avionics and aviation product strategy, international commercial strategy and negotiations, M&A, airspace management modernization, and IATA New Distribution Capability (NDC) initiatives. To address these challenges I bring 27-years of multi-faceted Airline industry executive experience at a major US airline, an avionics manufacturer, a datalink service provider, and two GDS’.
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Travelport Worldwide Ltd, atlanta, GA Senior Director, Commercial – Large Travel Management Companies
March 2018 - December 2018
Recruited by Travelport Worldwide Limited in March 2018 as Senior Director, Commercial responsible for the P&L of a portfolio of 25+ large US-based Travel Management Companies generating over $150M in revenue annually. Lead a team of 11 senior account managers, account executives, technical sales support, and consultant staff. Maintain an extensive network of C-level relationships across the customer portfolio.
Report to the VP of US Commercial and Sales. Full P&L responsibility.
Gained extensive experience with the commercial and technical challenges facing GDS’ with the coming of IATA’s New Distribution Capability.
Responsible for expanding and retaining accounts while ensuring ongoing excellent customer service
Led the renewal teams for 6 customer accounts achieving business targets and growing share of business and product reach.
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TRAVELSKY R&D USA, INC, Duluth, GA Senior Vice President - Business Development
August 2014 - March 2018
Recruited by TravelSky Technology Limited in August 2014 as Senior Vice President, Business Development to help establish its newly formed research and development center in the USA, TravelSky R&D USA Inc, and lead its long-term business development strategy. As part of the executive management team of the R&D Center, this role includes cross-disciplinary activities necessary to establish and launch the R&D Center operations, including recruiting of highly specialized airline industry experts to support strategic developments for the TravelSky parent company in China. This role oversees all TravelSky business development activities outside of China, including technology strategy, partnership strategy, and corporate acquisitions.
Reported to the President and CEO of TravelSky R&D USA.
Initial deliverable to ensure all steps needed to open the new offices were completed on-time and on-budget, including facilities, telecommunications, and regulatory requirements.
Responsible for conducting detailed evaluations of prospective strategies and partnership opportunities and recommending the best strategy to TravelSky Executive Management in Beijing. Evaluations included complete marketplace evaluations of solution providers in fares/pricing, New Distribution Capability (NDC), merchandising, and low-cost carrier PSS solutions, as well as evaluation of two companies for acquisition (PSS hosting providers).
Responsible for all recruiting activities for TravelSky R&D USA for roles covering international pricing and fares, NDC, revenue management, merchandising, and big data/analytics.
Responsible for all contract creation, negotiation, and governance for TravelSky R&D USA.
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SITA, INC, Atlanta, GA Senior Manager, Commercial and Contracts
January 2014 - August 2014
Recruited back into SITA's Aircraft Communications (AIRCOM) business unit into a new position owning all commercial and contract management for the Americas Region. Responsible for all commercial business cases and contracts development for all deals in the region, as well as for compliance with SITA's governance process for pricing, business cases, and contracts.
Responsible for management of the commercials and contract management of the SITA / Harris Corporation program for deployment of the FAA future generation aircraft data link solution NextGen.
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SITA, INC, Atlanta, GA Senior Manager, Pricing and Commercial
December 2012 - January 2014
Promoted in December 2012 to lead the pricing and commercial management team for SITA’s Passenger Solution Line. Led a team of Contract Managers and Commercial Managers. Provided expert support for complex product development and commercial business cases across the business unit. Led commercial negotiations with outside suppliers and customers of the Passenger Business Unit, always with autonomous decision making authority.
Led the sourcing and negotiation team for two key technology sourcing projects for the Passenger Business Unit
Managed the 5-person Pricing and Commercial Team during the development, implementation, and roll out of a new commercial and contract management system for the business unit.
Conducted numerous C-level approvals for commercial deals and investment approvals for the Passenger Business Unit.
Expert consultant on critical or complex commercial deal structures and investment business cases
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SITA, INC, Atlanta, GA Senior manager - Fares Solutions
December 2003 - December 2012
Offered a role in December 2003 overseeing business and commercial management for SITA’s Fares line of business. This role managed profit and loss, conducted product market and competitor analysis, created product development business cases, managed customer contract development, and conducted customer product presentations. Led negotiations for several critical commercial deals for the Fares Solutions Business, always with substantial autonomous decision making authority.
Led the team that won a $41M Airfare partnership with TravelSky in China, which was delivered on-time, on-budget, and over-revenue targets. Currently one of the most profitable projects in the Passenger business.
Traveled to China over 40 times, developing extensive business and personal experience with Chinese culture and business practices.
Championed the investment to replace legacy mainframe-based systems in the Fares Line Of Business with all new systems based on open systems technology.
Negotiated the renewal of all 7 Abacus Partner Carriers agreements - All Nippon, Cathay, China Airlines, EVA, Garuda, Philippine, Singapore – with all airlines together – Total revenue for all contracts was $34M with a 28% margin
Negotiated contracts with several other top-tier passenger customers, including Abacus, Amadeus, Infini, Sabre, Travelport, and Qantas.
Conducted numerous C-level presentations seeking approvals for the aforementioned deals.
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SITA, INC, Atlanta, GA Senior manager - value added services
January 2002 - December 2003
Recruited by SITA Aircraft Communications in January 2002 to develop and implement strategies to position SITA with the major actors of the In-Flight Entertainment industry as a partner of choice for Value Added Services, identifying key technology gaps, and negotiating alliances and joint ventures to fill those gaps. Owned Product Strategy for Passenger & Cabin Communications products, responsible for the P&L of my product lines, providing sales revenue forecasting and performance, product management support for engineering, product market analysis, product development business cases, marketing materials development, sales proposal development, and customer presentations. The products I owned included:
AIRCOM FlightLink
AIRCOM GateLink
AIRCOM Broadcast
AIRCOM E-mail
AIRCOM Credit Card Authorization
Satellite AIRCOM X.25
Key Initiatives:
Launched SITA’s AIRCOM FlightLink and AIRCOM GateLink services, providing high speed data connectivity to aircraft.
Led the initiative to form a joint venture program with Boeing for the deployment of WLAN Gatelink technology to support Boeing’s electronic flight bag initiative..
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Rockwell cOLLINS, inc, cEDAR rAPIDS, ia DIRECTOR - STRATEGIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
March 2000 - January 2002
Promoted in March 2000 to develop and execute strategies for the new Integrated Information System (I2S) product line and newly created dedicated software sales business unit. Added responsibility in August 2001 to develop a comprehensive strategy and product plan for the Rockwell Collins Advanced Surveillance Systems Initiative. Controlled a $300,000 bid and proposal budget. Identified key technology gaps and negotiated alliances and joint ventures to address. Participated in merger and acquisition teams. Developed business and product plans for new hardware, software and data development. Developed pursuit strategies, sales training, and conducted customer presentations.
Developed the strategy and product plans for software applications and data services programs with projected 5-year revenues of $65 million. CEO approved plan as a key corporate initiative
Selected to participate in the Design & Development Core Process Optimization (D&D CPO) Team (20 top performing employees from across Rockwell Collins) and gained extensive experience in evaluating organizational performance and product development processes.
Led development of 5 major proposals for complete, turnkey I2S deployments at customer sites, culminating in the capture of the first I2S launch program at Cathay Pacific Airways.
Led the negotiation of numerous alliances for both hardware and software development of the I2S products.
Participated in evaluating strategic fit and financial viability of 2 corporate acquisitions for Rockwell Collins.
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Rockwell cOLLINS, inc, cEDAR rAPIDS, ia product marketing manager - communications products
May 1998 - March 2000
Recruited from Delta Air Lines to direct all marketing and cross-functional product management activities of the Rockwell Collins Air Transport Systems Data Link product line, which included ACARS/Data Link products, VHF and HF communications radios and satellite communications radios. Scope of responsibility encompassed sales revenue forecasting and performance, product management support of programs and engineering, product market analysis, product development business cases, marketing materials development, sales proposal development, and customer presentations. Reported to Director of Product Marketing and managed a $100,000 bid and proposal budget.
Championed the $8 million development investment and led market introduction of the CMU-900 Communications Management Unit, beating the competition to market by 3 years.
Developed pursuit strategy and managed proposal development for 3 winning proposals (totaling $36 million) for turnkey Data Link deployments at United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Varig.
Won 24 customer programs, increasing Data Link product line sales 66% in 2 years. Delivered over 460 units at an average of 14% profit after tax, the highest profit ever achieved for the product line.
Worked with Rockwell Collins UK to launch the HERMES Ground Data Link host processing system, with 14 customers won in 3 years.
As a top performing employee, was selected to participate in Rockwell Collins' Leadership Development Program (LDP) which sought to identify and develop future leaders for the company.
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delta air lines, inc, atlanta, ga SUPERVISOR - AVIONICS ENGINEERING
April 1996 - May 1998
Promoted to supervise the Avionics and Communications Engineering Group for this leading airline. Provided leadership and direction for 11 engineers, associates and contract employees. Prepared and controlled a $900,000 operating budget. Prioritized and provided oversight for performance of all projects. Developed business cases for avionics purchases. Served on several avionics standards committees and policy bodies, and served as Delta Air Lines' AEEC Voting Member for 3 years.
Managed project planning and program management for an 18-month avionics standardization program for 30 aircraft in 13 different configurations purchased from 7 different airlines, delivering all modification and certification packages on time and under budget.
Converted Avionics and Communications Engineering from a pure cost center to a profit center by successfully implementing company’s first ever insourcing program for avionics projects, resulting in insourcing revenue of over $200,000 per year in the first year.
Prepared successful business cases for purchase of Data Link, GPS, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System and Predictive Windshear across the entire Delta fleet, positioning Delta as an industry leader for optional safety system equipment.
Led the team charged with avionics supplier selection and aircraft specification design for new Boeing B777, B737NG, B767 aircraft purchase. Saved over $486,000 per aircraft through effective cost negotiations.
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delta air lines, inc, atlanta, ga Principal avionics engineer
July 1993 - April 1996
Primary responsibility for all aspects of systems engineering and certification for various avionics systems: Flight data recording systems, cockpit voice recording systems, central instrumentation display systems, ACARS and HF data link, and VHF, HF, and SATCOM communications systems. Managed maintenance program and maintenance manual development.
Selected and trained to serve as a part of the first group of Continuous Improvement Team (CIT) Leaders for business process improvement teams across Delta Air Lines. Served as CIT Team Leader in the P&W2000 Engine Overhaul Line, and then later the Flight Simulator Engineering team.
Led the engineering team that installed and certified the Rockwell Collins Electronic Logbook System (ELS) on Delta’s MD-11 fleet, a first precursor to today’s electronic logbook systems.
Authored concept paper and Request for Proposal for the Delta Air Lines Wireless Aircraft Communicator (WAC) program, which launched the commercial airline industry movement towards Integrated Information Management Systems aboard aircraft.
Represented Delta Air Lines at several AEEC, IATA, and ICAO standards committees related to data link, CMU, FANS, SATCOM, VHF data radios, and Portable Electronic Device (PED) Interference.
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delta air lines, inc, atlanta, ga Avionics mechanic - line maintenance
May 1992 - July 1993
FAA licensed Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) and Avionics Mechanic for Delta Air Lines. Performed live flightline avionics and systems maintenance for all fleet types operated by Delta Air Lines. Taxi certified on L1011 and B727 aircraft..
SKILL AREAS
Airline Operations
Aircraft Maintenance
Avionics and Aircraft Systems
“Green Aviation”
Passenger Systems
RFP and Commercial Negotiations
Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications
Airspace management
New Distribution Capability (NDC)
Interests
Home Improvement Projects
Volunteering
Gardening
Boating and Watersports
Organizations
Dawson County Humane Society
NW Metro Atlanta Habitat For Humanity
Education
georgia state university, ATLANTA, GA
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Graduated August 2000
embry-riddle aeronautical university, daytona beach, fl
B.S. IN AVIATION TECHNOLOGY, AVIONICS
Graduated May 1992