Aviation is a great profession, one I suspect is a passion for many of the people profiled here on the FedEx Blog. Despite many challenges, aviation's long-term future is bright. One way we can make it brighter is to embrace a diverse workforce and harvest their many viewpoints and experiences to enrich our organization. We certainly believe that's happening at our company.

We are proud of our diversity record. FedEx was among the first to hire female pilots and now compares favorably in the number of women pilots we have. We also work hard to make sure women are well represented throughout all our air operations, including maintenance, engineering, and safety.

FedEx was built on the dreams of many people and will continue to thrive on such dreams. If you're interested in pursuing aviation as a career, I encourage you to apply all the passion, determination, and hard work needed to reach your goals, just like these team members. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Frederick W. Smith
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, FedEx Corporation

Part 1:

Mary Murphy, Fleet Captain- Memphis, TN

I remember it was a beautiful winter day in Florida more than 32 years ago when, in a Piper PA-38 Tomahawk, I eagerly took to the skies for the very first time. Wow! What an experience. Looking down at the earth instead of up at the sky, my perspective of life changed forever. That day, I became a pilot, and throughout my career I have always considered myself as a pilot and not as a woman in aviation.

With great support and encouragement from my parents and a few amazing mentors, I navigated the successes and the setbacks of an aviation journey that led me to my current position as a Fleet Captain for FedEx B757/B767 aircraft.

When I recall and occasionally still come across the original and well-known FedEx customer promise of "Absolutely, Positively, Overnight", it reminds me why FedEx is where I wanted to spend the rest of my aviation career.

Visionary leadership, a corporate culture of innovation and creativity and the People Service Profit philosophy were what initially drew me in. Coupled with my love of flying I knew that strong culture and service heritage at FedEx presented once in a lifetime opportunities at one of the best companies in the world.

FedEx to me, both personally and professionally, has given me the wonderful opportunity for career growth and work life balance, keeping me fulfilled as a pilot, as a wife, as a mother and, yes, as a woman in aviation.

distributed by