In honor of PRIDE Month, Scott Cooper - Airline Business Development Director at MWAA, shared his professional journey, personal favourites, inspirations and what inclusion and diversity means to him individually and in the workforce.
A brief Introduction of your professional journey
My first job out of college was working at a ski resort in Sun Valley, ID. An amazing time – except I grew up in Florida and therefore had no clue how to drive in the snow! Following that, I moved back to Tampa and accepted my first aviation job with Delta Air Lines. After Delta, I moved up to the northeast to work with Southwest Airlines and eventually came to Washington DC with JetBlue Airways. All of my airline jobs have been within sales or marketing departments. And, I joined the MWAA Team in 2017 where I now work to secure new and expanded air service at our airports for our region.
Do you have recommendations for LGBTQ+ people entering the business world who face situations of discrimination?
I’d say first understand the policies governing your employer – and then seek out someone in your HR department. Discrimination in any form is totally unacceptable. As hard as it may feel to speak up, it’s always the right thing to do. All of us deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
What can we do tomorrow for LGBTQ+ or diversity that can make a change right away?
Pride is all about celebrating and embracing the authentic you! To me, it means being completely comfortable in my own skin – the person I am, is exactly the person I was meant to be. I love the energy and expressiveness of Pride parades, where everyone can show their true selves and be fully welcomed.
What’s a question you never get asked that you’d like to answer?
What are your go-to karaoke songs? Oh, I’m so glad you asked! Good Morning Baltimore is my usual lead off song but I also love to rotate in Every Rose Has Its Thorn and maybe 9 to 5 if you haven’t totally tuned me out yet!
Any ‘ah-ha ‘ moment you would like to share - Personal or professional
I used to always think that practice makes perfect. However, as I’ve journeyed through life, my ah-ha moment has been the realization that “practice makes progress.”
Like our content? Signup to receive notifications: