Originally from the small town of Sanger, TX, Brett Jones decided to pursue a career in aviation at the age of 13. He spent his high school years traveling around the U.S. and Canada as a crew member on the Coors Light Silver Bullet jet team. As a senior, he set his sights on Southeastern Oklahoma State University where he earned a degree in aviation and business administration graduating in the Fall of 1994. Mr. Jones has over 9,000 hours flying all over the world and is type rated in the G-VI, G-V, G-IV, CL-300, LJ-60, LJ-45 and Learjet series aircraft. He has experience flying in both Part 91 and 135 operations and has been the Chief Pilot at Million Air Dallas in Addison, TX for over 10 years now.

Tom Jones obtained his CFI, CFII, and MEI in 2001 and began instructing at SE in April 2001. He intended to build up flight time and apply to regional airlines as soon as he met the minimums. However, 9/11 happened soon after and shocked the country and the aviation industry in an instant. With no one hiring, Jones pivoted to the Air Force as a means to make a living, fly cool jets, and serve the country. 

While military service isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, Jones loved his experience. The RC-135 took him all over the world—the Middle East (a lot), Europe, Asia-Pacific, Caribbean, and Alaska. Jones was stationed at Offutt AFB in Omaha, Nebraska, and Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. He also spent four years at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida as a T-6 instructor. His last assignment was a flying staff assignment at Lackland AFB, Texas where he maintained currency in the RC-135 as an evaluator pilot. 

While the Air Force and the people Jones served with enriched his life in countless ways, he was ready for a change and retired after 20 years of service in May of last year. He was fortunate enough to be hired by United Airlines that same month and reports that his experience has been fantastic.

Chase has served as the Airport Manager at McAlester Regional Airport since June 2021. After managing other facilities in the state and progressing his career Chase found an opportunity to move back home and serve at the airport he grew up on. He proudly leads the charge at McAlester Regional to transform the facility into the premier airport in Southeastern Oklahoma.

Chase is responsible for financial planning and coordinating day-to-day operations at the McAlester Regional Airport. Projects under his direction include a new airport terminal building currently under construction, mass property renovations, and taking over FBO services at the Airport.

Chase holds a B.S. in Aviation Management from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and is also one of the inaugural recipients of the OAOA’s Oklahoma Certified Airport Professional (OCAP) designation. He also serves as the Southeast Region Director for OAOA.

In addition to his duties at the Airport, Chase also serves as an aeronautics teacher at McAlester High School. The partnership between the City and school district has given students the opportunity to learn about the aerospace industry through several classes offered at the school, including the Tango Flight course Chase currently teaches. His students are taught about aircraft systems and maintenance through hands-on instruction while they build a Van’s RV-12 aircraft.

Captain Brad Monda is a Southwest Airlines Destination 225° Program Manager. He grew up in Plano, TX, and went on to play football at Ouachita Baptist University as an offensive lineman and deep snapper. He transferred to Texas State Technical College to begin his aviation schooling and continued on to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in Flight Operations. After the September 11^th tragedy sent a rift through the aviation industry, he paid to fly in the right seat of a SA226 Metroliner at Ameriflight to build flight hours. He was hired at Great Lakes Airlines in 2003 to fly the BE 1900 then joined Southwest Airlines in 2007. In addition to his duties as a Pilot, Brad has served as a Leader of many Programs at Southwest, including First Officer Leadership, First Officer Mentorship, Pilot Onboarding and Pilot Hiring. He spearheaded the redesign of their First Officer Leadership Program, served as Assistant Manager of Pilot Hiring, and served as a Facilitator during Ops Day, a peer-to-peer safety seminar created to quell airline industry stressors and Southwest’s then-recent acquisition of AirTran Airways. Currently, Brad is a Program Manager of the Destination 225° Pilot Pathway Program, where he primarily oversees the University Pathway and corporate partnerships. He was an integral part in the startup of Destination 225° by developing the Destination 225° Mentorship Program and Touchpoints. He lives in Lucas, TX with his wife Jamie and their three boys, and spends what little spare time he has coaching and watching their baseball, basketball, and football teams.