AcuFlight, Inc.

AUTOMATING THE FUTURE OF VOICE TECHNOLOGY

MANAGEMENT TEAM


Richard Miller,Chief Executive Officer

As Vice President and General Manager, Mr. Miller led the Global Interactive Travel group for American Express Corporate Travel from American Express Headquarters in New York.  In this position, he was responsible for developing and implementing the strategy for managing all aspects of the interactive and online travel business and set industry standards with his intense focus on relentlessly executing growth.  Within three years, 40% of the company’s corporate travel transactions were being processed interactively with over 90% requiring no human intervention.

Prior to managing the Interactive Group, Mr. Miller was the Vice president of American Express Small Business and Specialty Travel, responsible for developing and implementing U.S. strategy for the expansion of the small business travel and meeting segments of corporate travel.  He was appointed to this position in 2000 and within two years the business grew three-fold from $300 million to over $1 billion.

Mr. Miller began his tenure with American Express in 1974 and throughout his 30 years has held various positions within the Card, Merchant, Travel and Financial Services businesses.  Throughout the years, Mr. Miller served in a number of executive positions with the company that included sales, marketing, operations and account retention/expansion.  He was appointed Vice President for the Western Region Sales and Marketing of the merchant business in 1987 and accepted an expanded role in 1993 when he was promoted to Vice President and General Manager of the Western region headquarters for the American Express merchant business.

Mr. Miller represented American Express on various committees and task forces including the chairmanship of the American Express Southern California Philanthropic Foundation Committee and the Governor’s Executive Committee for the California Tourism Corporation.  He has served on the Los Angeles Theatre Board and the Governor’s Task Force on State of California Tourism Funding.

Mr. Miller was born in Ohio, graduated from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan and did graduate work at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California.


Suzanne M. Newman, President and Chief Operating Officer

Ms. Newman brings 31 years of travel industry experience to AcuFlight, Inc.  Her 17 years with American Airlines in progressively responsible management positions in sales, marketing, account management and related operational fields provided a background well suited to her responsibilities as Vice President of Operations for the Western Region of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, the world’s second largest provider of travel management services, generating over $26 billion in annual sales. 

During her 12 year tenure at Carlson Wagonlit Travel – Western Region, Ms. Newman has been responsible for day to day operations, as well as the development, implementation and successful delivery of cost effective strategic plans, services and products, designed to meet the requirements of an ever changing industry, as well as meet customer, corporate and profit expectations. In addition, she served as an active participant on several advisory committees forming national strategic direction and managed national projects and initiatives sponsored by Carlson Wagonlit Travel, the parent company.

Ms. Newman received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Pomona College in Claremont, California and has served on several advisory and philanthropic boards.  Her interests, outside of business, include literature, music and soft adventure travel with a focus on nature.

 


Donna Christine Billera,  Chief Strategic Officer, Secretary and Treasurer

Ms. Billera's 15 years as Vice President of a real estate concern in New York City specializing in representing Fortune 500 clients in negotiating occupancy cost reduction strategies has been a seamless foray into developing and selling cost-effective automation solutions to the same corporations.  In 1996, Ms. Billera founded Aircell Wireless Communications, Inc., a prior venture renting mobile telephones at a major US airport to foreign passengers and international pilots and flight attendants who could not use their own mobile telephones.

In 1991, she founded the Ndizi Foundation in Kenya, East Africa, which grants high school and college education to youths in need of financial assistance.  Ms. Billera is a three-time graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School and in 1998 organized and led an 18-person expedition to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa.  She is a director of AcuFlight, Inc.

Ms. Billera was graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.

 


Penelope Y. Turnbow, Interim Chief Financial Officer and Chief Legal Officer

 Ms. Turnbow is the founder, visionary and driving force behind Victory Corporation.  She founded Victory in 2003 and then assembled one of the airline industry’s most experienced leadership teams.  At the same time, she and the team formed strategic relationships with The Boeing Company and Unisys Corporation.  For over three years, more than 200 individuals have worked together and contributed to the design and development of an innovative, profitable business model for selling air transportation services that will be sustainable well into the future.  Victory Airlines is the first planned operating company, a domestic scheduled passenger business, to be followed by other independent companies to focus on very distinct market needs for air services for people and property globally. 

Ms. Turnbow began her transportation career at an early age in the family trucking business.  She was an advisor to this business until her father retired and sold it in 2002.  She received a Bachelors of Business Administration in economics and finance, a Masters of Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis before joining the legal department of Federal Express Corporation in 1989.  While at FedEx, Ms. Turnbow negotiated and closed over $4 billion in financing transactions and handled numerous high-profile domestic and international projects.  She developed expertise in public offerings and securities; municipal and corporate finance; and aircraft and facilities leasing and acquisition. 

She left FedEx in 1997 to join Thomas & Betts Corporation, a leading manufacturer of connectors and components for electrical markets worldwide.  There she advised the company’s executive team on all aspects of corporate, international, M&A and securities laws affecting T&B’s manufacturing operations.  Ms. Turnbow was part of T&B’s executive turnaround team from 2001 – 2004 working closely with the chief financial officer and chief accounting officer.  Her effectiveness in addressing the challenges faced by T&B’s management resulted in her appointment by the company’s board of directors to several of its governance committees.  After successful completion of T&B’s turnaround, Ms. Turnbow resigned in March 2004 to devote herself full-time to the development of Victory Corporation.  She has served on numerous operating subsidiary boards and the boards of the Memphis Humane Society and the YMCA.   She is a director of AcuFlight, Inc.