Advisory Council

Ryan Adams
Airport director
City of Denton Enterprise Airport

Adams has spent most of his career in local government management. He serves as the airport director for Denton Enterprise Airport since January 2024. Adams has held leadership positions in the cities of Denton, Irving and Athens, Texas. He has a wife and two young sons, volunteers for Scouting America, and loves backpacking and sweaters.

Dana Donati
CEO
Breaking Down Barriers

Donati is the CEO of Breaking Down Barriers, an aviation nonprofit dedicated to providing flight training scholarships to high-achieving minorities and transforming communities in Dallas through aviation. She previously served as CEO of United Aviate Academy, director at LIFT Academy, and was a captain and assistant chief pilot at Republic Airways. Donati holds a CFI and is type rated on the Dash 8 Q400 and Embraer 170/175/190/195.

She earned her MBA in Aviation and Leadership from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a bachelor of science in Aviation Management from Robert Morris University, and an associate degree in Professional Pilot from the Community College of Beaver County.

Captain Kathi Durst
American Airlines

Durst graduated in 1981 from the second class that admitted women to the Air Force Academy. She was hired by American Airlines in 1988 after serving seven years active duty in the Air Force. In her 36 years at American Airlines, she has instructed on three airplanes (Airbus 300, Boeing 737, and 777), been the B737 fleet captain and a DFW chief pilot.

Captain Deborah Hecker
American Airlines

Hecker is director-flight operations training policies & procedures for American Airlines and flies the Airbus 319/320/321. A graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in International Relations. She began her aviation career in 1990 when she was bitten by the flying bug. Hecker served nine years on the board of directors for Women in Aviation International and last two as chair.

Lindsey Lang
Vice President People
Southwest Airlines

Lang is responsible for developing and executing human resource strategy in support of the overall business plan of Southwest Airlines. She supports all people strategies and services and has oversight of talent acquisition, employee relations, HR technology, HR business partners, and employee services.

Lang joined Southwest in 2001 and began her career in the people department as an employment coordinator and then a recruiter for various operational and business groups. Lang transitioned to team lead for operations recruiting and onboarding, where she co-led the employee transition during Southwest’s acquisition and integration of AirTran. In 2012, Lang was promoted to senior HR business partner for the technology department. Lang served in multiple leadership positions on the talent management and HRBP team, serving as the senior director of HRBP & talent management as her last position on the team. In this role, she supported pandemic response, job architecture, and the building out of the HRBP function at Southwest.

Lauren Spence
Director of Airport Operations
Hillwood

Spence is the director of airport operations at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. She has more than 10 years experience in airport operations and regulatory compliance at general aviation and Part 139 certificated airports in Louisiana and Texas.

Spence earned a BS in Aviation Management from Louisiana Tech University, an MBA from Baylor University, and is a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives. She has a private pilot certificate and instrument rating.

Captain Tyson Walker
Program Manager-SMS Promotions
Envoy Airlines

Walker is responsible for coordinating and collaborating the development and implementation of Envoy safety initiatives/campaigns, specific to flight operations/pilot group. Prior to joining Envoy, he fulfilled several leadership roles at US Aviation Academy including VP of flight operations, director of training, program manager and chief instructor-turbine during. In addition, he served as the initial department chair and instructor in the Professional Pilot Program at Tarrant County College.  Walker entered the airline industry in 2005 with Comair Airlines, a wholly owned of Delta Airlines.

He earned a BS in Aviation Science from Utah Valley University and a BA in History from the University of Washington.  Walker also holds an ATP and MEI, and is type rated on the Canadair CL-65 and Embraer ERJ-170/190.

Tracy Burdacki

Steve Carlisle

Courtney Lepschy

Christi Paget

Janet Patton

Chad Weigand

Ric Wilson