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30 airportbusiness November 2015 Jonathan DeJesus: Upward Path to Aviation Career When Jonathan DeJesus was 6 years old, he accompanied his dad on a short business trip from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to San Antonio International Airport. Little did he know that his first flight would lead him to an aviation career at the very airport he flew out of. As the youngest assistant terminal manager for the world's third busiest airport, DeJesus has worked his entire career in the aviation industry. He started his career loading bags in San Antonio, Texas. His work ethic and drive, however, kept him on an upward path through numerous positions to acting station manager for an airline at DFW. DeJesus has spent the last five years on the airport side of the industry with DFW's Terminal Management. Initially hired to work one of the airport's ramp towers due to his extensive airline background, he was then promoted and tasked to create and manage DFW's largest airport board operated ramp tower from scratch. The tower he created for a single terminal controls over 300 daily flights, 10 different airlines, four construction phases, 35 gates, 37 hardstands and 11 apron entry points. DeJesus' leadership in creating this tower led him to a panel nomination and appointment for the National Academies: Transportation Research Board (TRB) Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Project for Airport Ramp Towers. DeJesus is also passionate about technol- ogy. He uses this passion to provide innovative thinking and prob- lem solving to aviation. He has developed two Augmented Reality campaigns as a member of the Future Leaders Initiative, created a web-based application for one of DFW's airport amenities, developed an automated process for graphing flight counts and load factors, built a new yoga studio with digital enhancements within the terminal, and deployed a telepresence robot to interact with customers at DFW. DID YOU KNOW? DEJESUS devotes at least eight hours a week to his Christian ministry and training. DID YOU KNOW? Though 4 foot 11 inches tall and 80 pounds, CONSTANTINE 's customers normally call her "MiniVan." Assistant Terminal Manager Customer Experience Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Age: 36 Years in Aviation: 15 years Customer Service Manager Landmark Aviation Age: 36 Years in Aviation: 9 Van Constantine's career in aviation began as an anomaly. Coming straight from Vietnam nine years ago, she started her new life as a newlywed in the United States shortly after Hurricane Katrina. Constantine's husband, who was working on his private pilot's license at Lakefront Airport in New Orleans, took her for a visit to the FBO—Million Air. Million Air was operating out of a trailer at that time, with many of its hangars still not rebuilt and a lot of the infrastructure in disarray. However, it was this curiosity that connected Constantine to General Manager Addie Fanguy and Customer Service Manager Laura Booth. A customer service position was open at that time, and Constantine was offered the job despite having very little experience in aviation. She accepted the position and was hired by Million Air on her third visit to the FBO. Working in an FBO was challenging because of the aviation terminology, her accent and culture, even with a college degree in Business. Constantine began reading aviation magazines, going out on the ramp to learn about aircrafts and taking computer-based training courses. At the same time, Constantine was studying American history and government to prepare for her Naturalization Test to become a U.S. citizen. Learning about America and its culture also made it easier for her to communicate with pilots. Three years after that she passed her test and became a U.S. citizen. With great training from her managers, tremendous support from line service technicians and different corporate pilots, Constantine learned quite a bit that helped advance her career. Landmark Aviation then purchased Odyssey (formally Million Air), and a year after that she was promoted to her current role as customer service manager. She says she takes this role seriously because it's "crucial to build up customer rapport because there are only 8,000 jets in the United States. If you lose a customer, it may take as long as a year to win them back. Aviation is a very small tight-knit community." Van Constantine: Moved Toward an Aviation Position