Leadership
Team

John Owen brings more than 23 years of experience in management and financial consulting to the leadership team. John joined Airshare as CFO in 2016 and became President and CEO in March 2018. He fine-tuned his consultative skills and financial acumen, working in progressively higher roles at State Street, Accenture, and KPMG. He previously was CFO for a supply-chain management company and most recently served as Vice President for a national executive search firm leading their private equity practice. John received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Kansas and a master's degree in accounting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

A 23-year veteran of aviation, Alex Franz has been with Airshare since 2003. Prior to being named COO in 2020, Alex served in various leadership roles within the company, including Chief Pilot, Director of Operations, and VP of Operations. Earlier in his career, he was a captain for a freight airline and Flight Instructor at a flight school. Alex is type rated in the Phenom 100, Phenom 300, Beechjet and King Air 350 aircraft, logging over 6,000 hours of total flight time. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Kansas.

Dylan Haynie brings more than 24 years of aviation industry experience and a results-driven, achievement-oriented focus to the company's leadership team. He manages and directs Airshare's sales team to secure new business across all facets of our business, including Aircraft Management, Fractional Ownership, EMBARK Jet Cards, and Charter Services. Prior to joining the company in 2018, Dylan served as sales director for Embraer and vice president of sales at Flexjet. He holds a juris doctor and bachelor of business administration from Baylor University.

Josh Johnson has over 20 years of experience in accounting, financial reporting, research, and enterprise risk services. He joined Airshare from NIC, Inc., where he served as vice president and corporate controller. Josh currently serves on the supervisory committee of CommunityAmerica Credit Union and the Accounting Advisory Board of the University of Kansas. He holds an undergraduate degree and a master's degree in accounting & information systems from the University of Kansas.

Lori Harlow joined Airshare in 2009 as Accounting Manager and was promoted to Controller in 2011. In 2015, Lori was promoted to Vice President of Accounting and Controller. Prior to joining Airshare, Lori started her career in public accounting and served both business and individual clients in tax, accounting, and attestation services before serving as a senior financial analyst at Sprint and then as an inventory accounting supervisor at Embarq. She holds designations both as a CPA and as a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). Lori holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Baker University.

Brian Jewell, Vice President of Training, Compliance and Strategy, has over 25 years of aviation experience and has gained nearly 12,000 hours of flight time as a pilot. Brian oversees high-level initiatives related to pilot training, company compliance, crew resources and long-term strategies. These initiatives will ensure company training is maintained to the highest quality, FAA/DOT compliance is always ensured, operational efficiencies are realized, and enhanced processes and systems are discovered and deployed. Brian's previous experience includes roles as an FAA Certified Flight Instructor and a pilot for U.S. Express and Trans World Airlines (later becoming American Airlines). He holds a bachelor of science degree from Kansas State University.

Steve Blanck joined Airshare in 2014 and has over 20 years of experience in private aviation. Prior to joining Airshare, Steve was a Partner in a local private practice where he specialized in assisting businesses and high-net-worth individuals buy and sell aircraft. He specialized in structuring acquisitions to maximize tax benefits. He holds a master of laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from the University of Missouri Kansas City, a law degree from Washburn University and received his undergrad from Kansas State University.

Gary P. Veer has over 40 years of working as a mechanic, inspector, and manager in aircraft maintenance. For the last 14 years have been with Airshare as the Director of Maintenance. Before coming to Airshare, he spent 18 years as DOM for several Air Ambulance operators maintaining rotor and fixed-wing aircraft. He has also spent time working in General Aviation as a manager of a 145 Repair Station.

Brandi Thomas joined Airshare in 2018 and brings nearly two decades of experience in advertising, marketing, and sponsorship activation. In her current role, she leads all day-to-day marketing initiatives, including lead generation and oversight of our CRM platform. Prior to joining Airshare, Brandi was the Community Programs Director for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer, where she successfully launched and ran the team's foundation – The Victory Project. Earlier in her career, Brandi spent several years as the sponsorship and brand manager for Garmin Fitness, including five years leading the company's Tour de France hospitality program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wichita State University.

Brittany Broxterman joined Airshare in 2019 with over 20 years of Human Resources experience. Her career has allowed her to experience a wide range of industries, including union/non-union, healthcare, technology, manufacturing and now aviation. After pursuing her Liberal Art and Science at the University of Kansas, Brittany also chose to gain her PHR and SHRM-CP credentials to advance her H.R. education and focus further. She uses her multiple industry experience to bring insight into the practical and cultural aspects of Human Resources.

Kyle McCracken has over 19 years of experience in private aviation. He has been with Airshare since 2010 and has held a number of positions within operations, including Manager of Owner Services, Manager of Flight Control and Director of Scheduling. Prior to Airshare, Kyle worked in scheduling at CitationAir, a fractional aircraft operator in Greenwich, CT. Kyle is a rated pilot with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management from the University of Central Missouri.