For those of you who do not know me, I come from a family of five children: two brothers (Mark and David) and two sisters (Tamara and Darla).  I am second to the youngest.  We grew up in a small town, Glennville, Georgia, which is approximately 60 miles SW of Savannah.  When I say small, I mean miniscule.  The town consisted of a few traffic lights, banks, pharmacies, a Hardees (of course) and my dad's 5 & 10 Variety Store.  I spent summers working in my dad's store and soon realized that retail was not a career choice for me.

My three-year experience on the high school debate team led me to consider becoming an attorney.  I enjoyed public speaking and research, and was involved in activities to that end.  I was chosen to represent my school at the state level in extemporaneous speaking, typing, and spelling.   Additionally, I was the editor of the school's newspaper.  Unfortunately, in order to graduate with honors, I had to work twice as hard during my Junior and Senior years because I had slacked off as a Freshman and sophomore.  Because of this, I was burnt out once I graduated from high school.  I was ready for FUN, not eight more years of college.  That was the moment in which I set my sights on the travel industry.

My brother David worked for Piedmont Airlines in Charlotte, North Carolina and was constantly traveling for FREE.  This got my attention!  In the spring of 1988 I enrolled at Southeastern Academy of Travel and Tourism in Kissimmee, Florida for an expensive holiday.  Seriously, the work was very hard as the unspoken motto of the school was "see how much information we can cram into you in the smallest timeframe possible".  It involved a 16-week course that covered Airline Ticketing, Car Rental procedures, Conversational French, Geography, Hotel Management, Public Speaking and Travel Agency functions.

Upon graduating from SAT&T, I knew there weren't any jobs related to travel in "Small-town", USA so I moved up to Charlotte, North Carolina to mooch off of my brother.  Once in Charlotte I decided to work as a Temporary until I could find permanent employment with an airline or travel agency.  One of my first assignments was at Piedmont Airlines Central Baggage Services.  This was the place where all luggage was sent after being lost for longer than 48 hours.  Needless to say, this was my first introduction to the enraged customer.  Many times I would have to hold the telephone away from my ear and let the passenger have at it - %?$#@!  Since Piedmont Airlines was merging with USAir, only one Central Baggage Service was needed and I wasn't willing to transfer to Pittsburgh, PA.  My luck held and my next assignment was with the USAir Simulator Engineering Department where I was hired full time as the department administrator.  This was a very intriguing place to work and I was even allowed to fly the simulator.  The take-off was executed with precision, but you should have seen the landing.  There was no way I could keep the "airplane" on the runway.  I "crashed and burned" and developed a new admiration for pilots. 

After working there for four and a half years, I received a telephone call from one of the Assistant Chief Pilot's for US Airways.  He asked how would I like to work for three Assistant Chief Pilot's?  Since a pay raise was part of the deal I accepted with no hesitation.  After working in that position for a couple of years, I was offered the position in the same office as the Office Coordinator and assistant to the Regional Director of Flying.  Again, another pay raise was dangling over my head and I gladly accepted this position as well.  This is where I currently work and I love my job.

Although I do not have any lofty aspirations, I do have a thirst for knowledge.  About a year and a half ago I decided that it's high time I went to college!  I am now attending Central Piedmont Community College part-time for an Associates degree in Business Administration.  I do not have any regrets in my reverse beginnings - career, then college - as my work experience has given my studies the added dimension that I would not have had otherwise.