Lift - Fall 2011 - (Page 2)

Letter from the President Congratulations to the Class of 2011 and all Embry-Riddle alumni—the 100,000 Strong—who represent this great institution and its heritage and future in the aviation and aerospace industries. This issue celebrates this milestone achievement with a special section featuring 10 recent graduates and highlights from commencement ceremonies that pushed Embry-Riddle beyond the 100,000 alumni benchmark. This accomplishment is something that all alumni and friends of the university should be proud of. It signifies Embry-Riddle’s longevity and success in educating professionals—not only in the United States but also in 11 different countries around the world. And our alumni are leaders in their respective fields. Take, for example, Zane Rowe (’91, DB) and Norman Knight (’90, PC), who returned to their Embry-Riddle campuses this past May to deliver commencement addresses. A member of the Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees and Business College Industry Advisory Committee, Rowe is the executive vice president and chief financial officer of United Continental Holdings. He was named one of corporate America’s outstanding financial executives under the age of 40 by Treasury & Risk magazine (2009), as well as one of America’s best airline CFOs by Institutional Investor magazine. Knight, an award-winning member of the NASA team that helped oversee the building of the International Space Station, is deputy chief of the Flight Director Office at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Four more of our alumni are currently serving on the U.S. Air Force’s elite Thunderbird team (see page 10); another alumnus is using his talent in the kitchen to support education in his home country of Nepal (see page 8); while yet another is helping Embry-Riddle students and alumni find their career paths (see page 22). Moving forward Embry-Riddle recently celebrated the Grand Opening of three additional buildings to its James Hagedorn Aviation Complex at the Daytona Beach Campus. These showcase facilities serve students seeking degrees or certificates in seven different programs. We are grateful to those who supported these brickand-mortar projects as they move our programs into the future and empower the university’s continued success in educating the leaders of today and tomorrow. Construction of the new Jim W. Henderson Administration and Welcome Center has also begun at the Daytona Beach Campus (slated for completion in 2012), while renovation projects at the Prescott Campus recently created new offices and meeting space for the Alumni Association and expanded the Fitness Center. Embry-Riddle is definitely an institution on the move—and with 100,000 alumni, there’s no doubt we’ll be reaching new heights. Warmest regards, John P. Johnson, Ph.D. President and CEO Lift, the alumni magazine of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is published twice annually (spring and fall) • Copyright © 2011 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida/Arizona/Worldwide. • 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114 • Volume 7, No. 2 • All rights reserved. Vice President, Institutional Advancement: Dan Montplaisir • Office of Alumni Relations Executive Director: Michéle Berg • Editor: Sara Withrow • Communications Specialist: Melissa Judy • Director, Prescott: Bill Thompson (’87, PC) Associate Director, Daytona Beach: Edmund Odartey (’04, ’10, DB) • Associate Director—Outreach: Chris Carta • Archivist: Kevin Montgomery • Administrative Assistant: Carla Messier Published by McMurry • Managing Editor: Shelley Flannery • Design Director: Marc Oxborrow • Production Manager: Tanya Clark • Production Technology Specialist: Julie Chan • Account Manager: Paul Peterson Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, handicap, veteran’s status or sexual orientation. Nonprofit identification: 59-0936101. 2 LIFT Fall 2011 www.ERAUALUmnI.oRg http://WWW.ERAUALUMNI.ORG

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Lift - Fall 2011

Lift - Fall 2011
Table of contents
Letter from the President
Chatter
Partnership expands high-performance vehicle research
Leading ladies
5-Star Philanthropist
Birds of a feather
We made it happen in 2011!
A winning combination
Blue sky landing
Alumni news
Class notes

Lift - Fall 2011