April, STEM Month, is a celebration dedicated to promoting and raising awareness about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. GlobalMindED is proud to highlight the voices and work of influential STEM leaders.
Meet William Flowers, the Deputy Director of Colorado Air and Space Ports.
A Journey in Aviation and Aerospace From Fly-ins to Spaceports - Meet Stem Leader, William Flowers
What is your personal/professional story?
I was introduced to the aviation industry as a child through my mom by attending a Fly-in at my hometown airport, Pine Bluff Regional “Grider Field” Airport (PBF) in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. That experience alone gained my attention to be around airplanes in some form of fashion. Before I attended college, I knew I wanted to work in the aviation community, but I did not know to what capacity. Throughout my collegiate career, I was able to obtain a few internships at airports in Arkansas which taught me the business operations of airport management as well as the various careers within aviation. One of the key lessons I learned from having those internships was that to progress in my career I have to be open to moving and seeing different airports. I attended undergrad at Henderson State University where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Aviation and very soon after I was offered a position as an Operations Officer at Capital Region International Airport (LAN) in Lansing, Michigan. My experience in Michigan was very eye-opening due to being introduced to the workforce after college as well as adapting to the new weather climate coming from the South United States. Working in operations at an airport was the best position to have to learn the inner workings of the airport because you handle a lot of different situations. After my time in Michigan, I moved to Colorado Springs, where I was offered another operations position at Colorado Springs Airport (COS). My experience in COS help gain a lot of knowledge in snow operations, customer service, and emergency management which help progress to move to a bigger airport. In 2017, I moved to Houston, Texas, and worked as an Airfield Operations Coordinator and moved into a Supervisor position soon after at Bush-Intercontinental Airport (IAH). My Houston experience taught me a lot about big municipal government, construction operations, project management, and high-level emergency management due to Hurricane Harvey, the Texas Winter Freeze, COVID-19, and other various natural disasters.
Each move I made was a step up to a bigger operation and a bigger position to help me progress into my current position as Deputy Director of the Colorado Air and Space Port (CFO). I have been in this role since January of 2022, where I oversee all day-to-day operations and help to increase business development in both the aviation and aerospace sectors, which will help the local area workforce and economy.
What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?
In 2019, I was accepted into Kansas State University to begin graduate school where I was able to obtain a Masters in Community Development. During that timeframe, I took my classes online and lived in Houston at the time. Being a full graduate student and working full time showed me the level of determination that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I finished the program in 2021 and debated about what my next move would be so I consulted with a few of my mentors that work in aviation. During this time there were quite of few airport manager and director positions opening around the country, but I was nervous to apply because I felt I lacked experience. When I spoke to one of my mentors, he reassured me that I was indeed ready and that I had more experience than he had when he became an airport manager. Though I was still hesitant, I went ahead and applied at multiple places where I landed many interviews and a few offers. Because I worked so much in the commercial aviation side of the house, I wanted to get back into how I started my career in college which was working at a general aviation airport. I saw the position here at CFO open which was unique because it is a huge general aviation airport, but also holds a spaceport license as well. Being able to be in both aviation and aerospace is very exciting because of the amount of new things I learn and how it will affect our lives today as well as in the future.
Where does your passion to serve come from?
I think one thing I learned from graduate school as well as working at IAH was learning how the world works in terms of having good infrastructure. The best way to describe an airport is like being in a small city. The airport has fire departments, police, maintenance teams, concessions, operations, and almost anything that helps run a city an airport has that as well. During my time at IAH, Hurricane Harvey shut down the entire city let alone much of the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana. The only way to get aid was via air which many airplanes and helicopters were being used to do so and also having the airport facility as a hub for multiple supporting groups during that time. That experience showed me how much airports and aviation are used in multiple ways whether it is for leisure purposes or during times of distress.
How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?
I think GlobalMindED is a great organization that helps individuals from all walks of life to introduce new and seasoned leaders to the various industries around the world. One thing that I have been pushing is to expose youth to careers in aviation and aerospace that might not be the common traditional pathways many think about (i.e. airport management, flight operations). One of the best lines I have ever heard is, “Exposure leads to expansion” and that is something that my family and mentors have done for me which is why I have landed the position I currently hold. The new technologies within aviation and aerospace will continue to expand, and we will need a new workforce to help with innovation and implementation. GlobalMindED would be great a resource to assist with those efforts to increase public notice.
