Cleveland, Oct. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci, his wife Pamela and their family have endowed two faculty chairs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University focused on innovation in aviation, aerospace or space. Not only will the two gifts enable the university to address the industry’s most important innovation challenges, but the gifts will also attract top faculty talent and drive student innovation at Embry-Riddle, the global leader in aviation and aerospace higher education.
“We want to encourage bold thinking about the growth and advancement of aviation,” said Kenn Ricci who has spent his entire career in aviation, first as a pilot then as an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. “In creating these two chairs – the Ricci Family and the Flexjet Chair for Aviation, Aerospace or Space Innovation – we are supporting the kind of educators who will instill an ethos of problem-solving in their students – which inevitably will lead to innovation.”
Pamela Ricci added, “What better way to elevate the caliber of faculty for Embry-Riddle students and create a better future for our children’s children than creating these endowed chairs?”
Just last year, Kenn Ricci joined Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees and already is demonstrating his leadership with these foundational gifts to fuel Embry-Riddle’s centennial comprehensive campaign, Imagine What’s Next. One of the campaign’s four pillars is investing in top talent and expanding faculty research in signature areas.
“Trustee Kenn Ricci’s visionary leadership and extraordinary generosity have set a new standard for philanthropy in aviation and aerospace education,” said Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini. “The establishment of the Ricci Family Chair for Innovation and the Flexjet Chair for Innovation ensures that Embry-Riddle will continue to inspire and equip future generations of leaders in our field. The commitment of Trustee Ricci and Pamela Ricci will fuel innovation and excellence, advancing our mission and the entire industry for decades to come.”
This is the second institution to benefit from a Ricci-funded endowed chair. In 2007, Ricci endowed a chair at University Hospital’s Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland to support the work of cystic fibrosis research.
Like most endowed chairs in university settings, these two chairs will be awarded to industry leaders in their fields and will provide a stipend to the faculty member as well as funds to conduct research. The goal in these endowed chairs is to attract superstar faculty in one of the three areas of expertise: aviation, aerospace or space.
As an aviation industry leader and entrepreneur, Kenn Ricci has dedicated a substantial amount of time researching and investing in transformational ideas in aviation to support areas such as supersonic and laminar flow technologies. Just this year, Ricci and Flexjet placed a firm order for the windowless Otto Phantom 3500 – which uses laminar flow technology to reduce fuel burn by 60%. At the time, Ricci said the aircraft marks a “a bold step into a future where an aircraft’s efficiency and sustainability stand alongside speed, comfort, and range as defining standards.”
“On behalf of the entire Embry-Riddle community, I express our deepest gratitude to Trustee Ricci and Pamela Ricci for their remarkable gift and steadfast support,” said Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler. “The creation of these endowed chairs marks a transformative moment for our university, enabling us to bolster research and development, support our world-class faculty and further enhance Embry-Riddle’s reputation as a global leader in aviation and aerospace education.”
About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, institution offering more than 100 baccalaureate, master’s and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering and Security & Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus with many locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and through online programs. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, universities and government agencies. Find out more at www.erau.edu
About Flexjet
Flexjet, a global leader in private aviation, first entered the fractional jet ownership market in 1995 and is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Flexjet offers fractional jet ownership and leasing and is the first in the world to be recognized as achieving the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Industry Audit Standard, is the first and only company to be honored with 26 FAA Diamond Awards for Excellence, upholds an ARG/US Platinum Safety Rating, a 4AIR Bronze Sustainable Rating and is certified at Stage 2 with IS-BAO. Flexjet Technical Services, a fully integrated maintenance and product support infrastructure, has operations in the U.S., Canada and Europe and its primary mission is to support the maintenance of the Flexjet fleet. Red Label by Flexjet, a market differentiator, features an ultra-modern fleet, flight crews assigned to a single aircraft and the LXi Cabin Collection of interiors. To date there are more than 50 different interior designs across its fleet, which includes the Embraer Phenom 300, Praetor 500 and 600, Bombardier Challenger 350/3500 and the Gulfstream G450 and G650. Flexjet’s European fleet includes the Embraer Praetor 600 and the Gulfstream G650. Flexjet’s helicopter division offers leases, helicopter cards and convenient interchange access for its aircraft Owners. Flexjet owns, operates and maintains its global fleet of Sikorsky S-76 helicopters which boast 55,000 hours of safe flying certified by Wyvern and ARG/US and serving locations throughout the northeastern United States, Florida, United Kingdom and Italy. Flexjet is a member of the Directional Aviation family of companies. For more details on innovative programs and flexible offerings, visit www.flexjet.com or follow us on Instagram @Flexjetllc.
- Kenn and Pamela Ricci Family Establishes Two Endowed Chairs for Innovation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Kenn and Pamela Ricci Family Establishes Two Endowed Chairs for Innovation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University