Jo Damato, CAM ’97, who in November was named senior vice president of events and professional engagement at her longtime employer, the National Business Aviation Association, visited her alma mater in November.
Her two-day visit began Nov. 19 when she and College of Aeronautics adjunct faculty member Sean McGeough ’95 ’05 M.S. participated in a panel discussion at the Florida Tech chapter of Alpha Eta Rho, the professional collegiate aviation organization.
The next day, her itinerary included a tour of the flight line at Florida Tech Aviation, lunch with College of Aeronautics Dean John Deaton and a later afternoon chat with President John Nicklow and Vice President of Philanthropy Cassie Pericak. Damato concluded with a guest lecture in McGeough’s Careers in Aviation class.
“Thank you for the warmest and most wonderful welcome this week. The hospitality was outstanding,” Damato wrote in response to a LinkedIn post from Florida Tech about her visit. “I was so impressed by the enthusiasm and professionalism of the students. The future is so bright with them as the aviation industry’s next gen.”
A certified flight instructor, Damato holds a single- and multi-engine land instrument rating and a commercial pilot certificate.
After graduation, Damato worked in scheduling and was director of pilot training with Executive Jet Management at Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport. In 2001, she joined NBAA to manage the association’s Air Traffic Services function at the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center. Then starting in 2007, she began her focus on professional development roles within NBAA.
In addition to supporting her alma mater, Damato is active with Women in Aviation, International, Women in Corporate Aviation, Alpha Eta Rho and the Aviation Accreditation Board International.
The Panther pride runs deep in the Damato household: Jo Damato is is married to another Florida Tech alumnus, Robert Damato ’92.
