Kenn and Pamela Ricci Family Establishes Two Endowed Chairs for Innovation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Cleveland, Oct. 27, 2025 — 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 Ricciand 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.”

Source: Flexjet