Last month, we welcomed Jim Graham as Endeavor’s new Chief Executive Officer. In addition to his new role at Endeavor, Jim serves as Senior Vice President of Delta Connection. Prior to joining Delta Connection and Endeavor, Jim served as SVP of Delta’s Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance, and before that as SVP of Delta Flight Operations. We want you to get to know Jim better, and so we asked him a few questions.

EM: Jim, welcome to Endeavor. We are glad you’re here.
JG: It is an honor for me to come in and work with this incredible team at Endeavor. I’ve had the opportunity to watch Endeavor from its beginnings, and I’m glad to be a part of this team now.

EM: Tell us about your background in aviation and the airline industry.
JG: I have loved aviation for as long as I can remember. I started flying sail planes at the age of 14 and getting into the air…there is no feeling like it in the world! Not long after that, I started flying charter, and doing flight instruction. After college I had the opportunity to go and fly for the Navy. It was an incredible experience, learning how to build a team at an early age, under challenging conditions. I served 7 years of active duty and served in the reserves for 13 years.
I was hired by Delta in 1988, and worked my way up through several different types of aircraft. I’ve held leadership positions in the Flight Standards group and as a Chief Pilot, and in Flight Operations. In 2017 I became SVP – Flight Operations, overseeing Delta’s day-to-day flight operations on six continents and leading Delta’s 14,000+ pilots. When the opportunity came to move to Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance, I jumped at the chance, and I led that group for the majority of 2020. Now, the opportunity to come to Endeavor is a dream come true for me – I’m really excited to work with this team.

EM: What are your immediate goals for yourself at Endeavor?
JG: C.S. Lewis said, “Shut your mouth; open your eyes and ears.” I plan to do just that, as well as get out as quickly as I can to every crew and maintenance base to get to know as many Endeavor people as possible. The pandemic makes that more challenging than usual, but we can do this safely. I hosted my first meet and greet in ATL on November 9, and it was great to meet folks there. I look forward to getting to the other bases in the coming weeks.

EM: What are you looking forward to the most at Endeavor?
JG: Agility + enthusiasm. I see these two things in everyone on this team, and it is so refreshing.

Rapid Fire Questions
What are the three things you can’t travel without?
Running shoes, iPad, Charger

Window or aisle seat?
Short flight – window. Long flight – aisle.

What is the best thing you’ve watched in quarantine?
Ford vs Ferrari

What is your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving

Last trip you went on?
Fly fishing in Idaho with my son.

What was your first car?
1966 red Volkswagen Bug. My dad, older brother and I split it. My brother totaled it in 6 months.

What are you currently reading?
One Vote Away by Ted Cruz about the Supreme Court

What is your current favorite podcast?
“Biographics” by Simon Whistler. It’s 20-minute episodes about different people in history. It’s great to listen to when I’m out running.

Go-to drink order?
Small batch bourbon, neat.

Favorite candy?
Starburst, Jelly Beans, Heath Bars. If I’m at the movies, Milk Duds.

What are your hobbies?
Fly fishing, bird hunting, skeet shooting, flying general aviation, avid boater.

What is your next trip?
Thanksgiving in the mountains with my family.

What’s a pet peeve?
Drivers in the left lane not going with the flow of traffic.

What drives you?
Getting to work with the best people in the industry every day.