Stephanie Chung is an American

business executive A business executive is a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. Executives run companies or government agencies. They create plans to help their organizations g ...

who was the first African American to serve as president of a

private aviation Private aviation is the part of civil aviation that does not include flying for hire, as opposed to commercial aviation. Definition Private aviation and commercial aviation are not rigorously defined. In general, private aviation is regarded a ...

company in the United States. She was president of

JetSuite Superior Air Charter (previously JetSuite) is a private jet charter company based out of Dallas, Texas. The company was founded in 2006 by Alex Wilcox. In 2008, the company was re-branded from Magnum Jet after a push from financial backers. Wilc ...

from August 2018 to April 2020. In August 2020, Chung became the inaugural chief growth officer of

Wheels Up A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...

. She previously held executive roles at

Bombardier Aerospace Bombardier Aviation is a division of Bombardier Inc. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada. Its most popular aircraft included the Dash 8 Series 400, CRJ100/200/440, and CRJ700/900/1000 lines of regional airliners, and the newer CS ...

SkyJet Airlines Magnum Air (SkyJet), Inc., operating as SkyJet Airlines (styled as SKYJET Airlines), is a Philippine low-cost regional airline based in Manila, Philippines. Previously an air charter company, SkyJet commenced commercial operations on 14 December ...

, and

Flexjet Flexjet is an American provider of fractional ownership aircraft, leasing, and jet card services. Founded in 1995 as a division of Bombardier Aerospace, it is currently owned by Directional Aviation, an aviation private investment firm. Backgro ...

Career

Chung first started working as a ground handler with

Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airlines ...

in the 1980s,

aircraft marshalling Aircraft marshalling is visual signalling between ground personnel and pilots on an airport, aircraft carrier or helipad. Activity Marshalling is one-on-one visual communication and a part of aircraft ground handling. It may be as an alternative ...

and loading luggage at

Logan International Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partially ...

. She occasionally worked at the ticket counter for additional money. At the age of 25, after

US Airways US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in History of aviation in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called ...

acquired Piedmont, Chung began working in corporate sales where her quota was $25 million. She was recruited by

in 2000 as a sales director in its

air charter Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a airline ticket, ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad h ...

division. Chung later worked as vice president of sales of Bombardier's US

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

region. Chung held executive roles at

. As

's vice president of sales, she led the strategic deal and sales organization team to generated $835 million in revenue. In 2014, Chung founded a consulting practice focused on executive level sales training. She consulted for airline executive

Alex Wilcox Alex Wilcox is an American airline executive and businessman. He co-founded JetSuiteX, since renamed JSX, and is JSX's CEO. Wilcox was a founding executive of JetBlue Airways as well as president and COO of Kingfisher Airlines until 2006. Wilc ...

who hired Chung as president of

in August 2018. Chung is the first African American to serve as president of a

company in the United States. As president, Chung reimaged JetSuite as a luxury airline by upgrading the fleet and improving service. During this period, the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...

declared JetSuite one of the best places to work. The airline filed for

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

bankruptcy in April 2020. In August 2020, Chung became the inaugural chief growth officer of

. In this role, Chung oversees client acquisition to increase revenue by diversifying the membership base. For

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), also referred to in the United States as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awaren ...

in 2020, Chung led the Wheels Up Cares initiative to raise awareness and funds for the Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. Chung serves on the

National Business Aviation Association The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is a non-profit, 501(c)(6) organization based in Washington, DC, United States. NBAA’s mission, according to the non-profit data and transparency organization GuideStar, is: “to foster an en ...

advisory council.

Personal life

Chung was born on an

air base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

. She was a

military brat A military brat (colloquial or military slang) is a child of serving or retired military personnel. Military brats are associated with a unique subcultureDavid C. Pollock, Ruth E. van Reken. ''Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds'', Revise ...

who moved frequently due to her father who was a master sergeant in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. In 2008, Chung was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

. She married . , Chung is based in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. Her daughter founded the nonprofit, Elevation Society, aimed at decreasing

youth suicide Youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below the legal age of majority, deliberately ends their own life. Rates of youth suicide and attempted youth suicide in Western societies and other countries are high. You ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chung, Stephanie Living people 20th-century births Place of birth missing (living people) African-American business executives American aviation businesspeople American women business executives 20th-century American businesswomen 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American businesspeople 21st-century African-American businesspeople