Donati, Dana

Mrs. Dana Donati

Class of 1999

As the CEO of United Aviate Academy, a Part 141 flight school owned by United Airlines, Dana Donati is responsible for the overall performance and efficiency of the Academy.   Within six months of operation, United Aviate Academy had over 130 students enrolled in the flight program with goals to train 5,000 pilots over the next ten years.  Dana leads a team that is successfully achieving the goal of training 50 percent of United Aviate Academy students being women or people of color.

Before being named CEO of United Aviate Academy, Dana was the General Manager and Director of Academic Programs for the startup flight school, LIFT Academy, a Republic Airways Company.  She was responsible for facilitating a new Part 141 certificate, the approval of two Department of Labor Apprenticeship Programs and the onboarding of over 700 flight academy students.

Prior to joining LIFT Academy, Dana was the Dean of Aviation at the Community College of Beaver County.  Dana also spent 11 years with Republic Airways serving in various positions such as Assistant Chief Pilot, First Officer and Captain Type rated on the Dash 8 Q400 and the Embraer 170/175, 190/195.  As Captain on the Dash 8 Q400, Dana successfully led her crew and passengers to safety as she flew United Express flight 4890 on July 25, 2013, back to Newark due to an aircraft emergency.  Because of the heavy smoke forming in the aircraft, the landing resulted in an evacuation on the runway safely removing passengers from the aircraft and resulting in no injuries to passengers and crew.

Dana earned an MBA from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a Bachelor of Science degree from Robert Morris University in Aviation Management and an Associate degree from the Community College of Beaver County in Professional Pilot.

Dana served as a member of the FAA Women In Aviation Advisory Board, appointed by former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.  In her two years of service on the board, she contributed as the Subcommittee Chair for the Training and Recruiting Subcommittee.  Her contribution led to the creation of the report, ‘Breaking Barriers for Women in Aviation: Flight Plan For the Future’, which was submitted to the Secretary of Transportation, the Administrator of the FAA and Congress.  Dana continues to give back to the Community College of Beaver County by serving as a member of the CCBC Foundation Board.  Additionally, she is a member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s Board of Nominations.

Dana resides in Goodyear, Arizona with her husband and two sons.  They enjoy traveling and exploring new places.