Alumni Spotlight: Anthony Spaulding
What have you enjoyed most about your COB education? Two of the key attributes of the Worldwide Campus are the professors and students. The students are working full-time in aviation-related business and the professors have been in or are closely aligned to the courses they are teaching. This gives the college an extra edge of “real experiences” to give academic theory an application in the business of commercial aviation. Many of my professors had years of experience and pulled on the experiences of students in the class to drive each of their lectures. That was a bedrock foundation that I have used in building my career and interacting with my teams by having respect for theory but also applying current and past experiences to develop the best way forward. How did your experience and education affect your transition into the industry? After completing my undergraduate degree in 1992, I knew if I wanted to lead large groups or organizations, I needed to take the next step in my education and earn my MBA. So, COB was my natural choice. I graduated in 1999 with my MBAA. As I transitioned into this part of my career, it was filled with ups and downs, but at each one of those ups and downs I always relied on the education Embry-Riddle gave me to better understand the industry and to speak confidently on issues. What advice do you have for individuals looking to enter the industry? What are you waiting for?! In all seriousness, this industry offers so many different career opportunities than what most think of in aviation. The industry is more than just pilots, technicians, engineers, flight attendants, etc. This industry is heavily dependent on technology to shave minutes off flights and orchestrate thousands of flights and crews daily or extensive finance knowledge to properly manage the capital needed to buy/manage billions in aircraft and to build airport infrastructure to support commercial aviation. The industry is at an inflection point in attracting new talent quickly enough to learn from and replace the individuals like me who will be departing the industry in the next few years. I have been a very strong advocate anytime I’ve been able to speak to large industry colleagues that the time is now to attract new talent into aviation. I will always be an advocate for the industry and Embry-Riddle in attracting the best and the brightest to be able to continue to be a part of and write this history of aviation.
Mr. Spaulding graduated with an MBA in Aviation (MBAA) in 1999. Throughout his 36+ year career in commercial and military aviation, he has held many positions at top companies. Currently, he is the President and CEO at Magellan Aviation Group, a company that supports global airlines, leasing companies and MRO facilities globally with used serviceable and new surplus material for Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Spaulding is also a member of the Dean’s Council.
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