Erik Blowers is a practicing attorney, business owner, and entrepreneur who has lived in the Charlotte area for more than three decades. He graduated from Capital University Law School in 1989 and served with the FBI as a Special Agent for 16 years. He owns his own law firm that provides specialized legal representation to injured federal workers in their claims with the U.S. Department of Labor. He and his wife are the proud parents of five children.
Kelly Carter is the department manager of the Regional Hub Control Center for Piedmont Airlines/America Eagle Group at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. She has been in the airline industry for over 26 years, with 23 of them in Charlotte. Kelly has seen first-hand the impact that the Charlotte Airport Chaplaincy has on airport employees, the USO, as well as the millions of customers who pass through each year. She is very active in her church and community and has been married for over two decades and raised three sons.
Harry Dobrowolski has more than 40 years of experience in manufacturing and automation systems, working in Germany, South Africa, Canada, Singapore and the United States. Dobrowolski is retired as CEO and President of Global DyStar Group, a global manufacturer of textile dyes and chemicals. He also formerly held the CFO and CRO positions at DyStar. He also has experience in the medical/dental equipment market and Tier II automation systems manufacturing, as well as extensive experience and know-how of textile dyes and chemicals global markets. His career also included working at Siemens and Rohwedder. A frequent air traveler himself, Dobrowolski values the care and human connection that the Airport Chaplaincy provides at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Born and educated in Germany, he is married with two daughters and three grandsons.
Martha Edge is the Innovation and Experience Director at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. She began working at CLT in 1998 with Delta Air Lines and in 2009 transitioned to the City of Charlotte’s Aviation Department, where she’s held the positions of Operations Officer, Operations Supervisor, Terminal Operations Manager and Innovation and Experience Director. A graduate of Gardner-Webb University, Edge holds a Certified Member accreditation and Airport Certified Employee – Operations (ACE) credential from the American Association of Airport Executives, and has completed the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative through the Harvard Kennedy School. She is the first person to hold the position of Terminal Operations Manager and Innovation and Experience Director at CLT and is responsible for building both divisions. Edge believes in the power of the Airport Chaplaincy to support, inspire and encourage those who work in the airport community as well as travelers.
Rodney Frascht is the Managing Director of Customer Operations for American Airlines at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. He has worked in the airline industry for more than 36 years and has been based in Charlotte for the past nine years. Leading a large workgroup for American Airlines has enabled Frascht to see firsthand the compassion and spiritual support the Airport Chaplaincy provides to airline employees and the traveling public. He has been married for 25 years and is the proud father of two daughters and a son.
Vince Papke is the General Manager of Modern Aviation at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. He has served the General Aviation community for more than 30 years, working at fixed base operators (FBOs) in Newark, LaGuardia and Teterboro. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, where he also earned his commercial pilot’s license. Papke is passionate about the care and compassion of the Airport Chaplaincy, having witnessed first-hand the emotional support chaplains provide during difficult times for two of his team members at Wilson Air Center. He has been married for 25 years and is the proud father of two children.
Terri Pope is retired after more than four decades of experience in the airline industry, notably serving as the first female airport director in the history of US Airways. At the pinnacle of her career, Pope was vice president of Hub Operations in Charlotte, N.C., for American Airlines, where she led all aspects of American’s second-largest hub and one of the country’s busiest airports. In addition to her service to the Airport Chaplaincy, Pope serves on the Airport Community Partnership, on the Board of Directors for the Renaissance West Community Initiative, and on the Advisory Board for Veterans Bridge Home. The Charlotte Business Journal recognized Pope as one of the top 25 businesswomen in the Charlotte community in 2009, and the Profiles in Diversity Journal recognized her as one of 2014’s Women Worth Watching. She lives in Mooresville, N.C., with her husband Barry and is the proud mom of a Clemson graduate and material science engineer, David.
Hannah Tomlinson is a practicing Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate in Charlotte. She has worked in a private counseling practice since graduating with a master’s degree from UNC-Charlotte in 2018. Working in the mental health field and being actively involved in her faith community has allowed her to appreciate the value of the Airport Chaplaincy, and how it provides spiritual and emotional care for all people traveling through our city.
Michael Wanner is responsible for operations at American’s hub in Charlotte, leading a team of dispatch professionals responsible for delivering a safe, efficient, and on-time operation.
Prior to joining the Charlotte leadership team in July 2020, Wanner was based at American’s Integrated Operations Center (IOC) in Fort Worth, where he served as IOC Director responsible for running the minute-to-minute operations for 7,000 mainline and regional flights across American’s global network and 400 airport stations. In this role, Wanner exerted critical thinking, and a collaborative approach to working across multi-functional departments and government agencies to execute the daily schedule and respond to challenges including weather, air traffic control delays, and irregular operations.
Prior to joining American in 2017, Wanner held numerous roles in transportation operations. He began his career with the United States Navy as an Air Traffic Controller. After military service, Wanner joined Northwest Airlines and managed station operations in Grand Forks, Wichita, and Seattle, the Minneapolis Hub, before a promotion to Director of Labor Relations. Following Northwest’s merger with Delta Airlines, Wanner led Delta’s hub operations in Los Angeles over two years. In a brief reprieve from the airline industry, Wanner lead labor and management relations at CSX Railroad where he negotiated and administered the collective bargaining agreements covering Engineers, Conductors, Train Dispatchers and Yardmasters at CSX between 2013-2017.
When not engaged in the operation he enjoys spending time with his wife Jodi, along with his two daughters, Abbey and Hayley, traveling and enjoying new experiences across the globe.
Diane has been involved in the real estate industry for over 40 years as a broker and consultant. As a broker her sales and leasing transactions exceed 50 M primarily in Charlotte and the Research Triangle Area of NC. In her consulting capacity she provided assistance to the Charlotte Housing Authority with federal disposition regulations to enable redevelopment of assets, prepared preliminary proformas establishing marketability of mixed- use concepts on strategic properties, prepared Requests for Proposals (RFP) for redevelopment opportunities and was an integral member of the team that developed a multifamily project in First Ward. In addition, she provided market data to various architectural firms which enabled them to draft vision, design and implementation services for strategic projects in cities such as Columbia, SC, Wake Forest, NC and Pineville, NC.
On a personal note, she was part of a group that acquired a mixed-use shopping center in Davidson, NC that required a condominium conversion to facilitate retail development.
Most recently, her employment with Charlotte Douglas International Airport has involved leasing its assets as well as providing assistance on a variety of real estate related matters. Regarding committees and boards, she has served as President of the North Carolina Certified Commercial Investment Member ( NC CCIM) Board, Vice Chair of Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission, and Chair of Charlotte International Cabinet.
Wendy retired in 2019 after a distinguished 35-year career with American Airlines and its predecessor airlines. Throughout her tenure at Piedmont Airlines, USAir, US Airways, and American Airlines, Wendy held a variety of roles that contributed to both the company’s growth and her professional development.
Wendy began her airline career as a flight attendant prior to joining the management ranks three years later. In her final role as Eastern Regional Director, Wendy was entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing operations for three major flight attendant domiciles consisting of Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Washington/Baltimore.
She managed a workforce that included 6,500 flight attendants and 95 management and staff members, ensuring operational excellence and supporting employee engagement across these critical hubs. Wendy’s leadership played a pivotal role in fostering a collaborative environment and upholding high standards of service within the organization.
Prior to, and since, her retirement, Wendy has volunteered her time and skills to several community causes. She served as a Board Member for Freedom School Partners from 2016 to 2023 and took on the role of Chair for the Board Development Committee in 2023. She then served as a member of the CEO Search Committee in 2024. Freedom School Partners is a non-profit organization associated with the Children’s Defense Fund
Currently, the Campaign and Donor Relations Manager for the United Way of Gaston County. Prior to this position, I was the Recruiter and Student Support Specialist for the Cato School of Education at Queens University of Charlotte. I am also a former Fourth Grade Teacher for Gaston County Schools. Through my many different roles I am fortunate to have gained a diverse skillset and I am always open and willing to learn new things!
