Events

Joanne M. "Jo" (Lomurno) Damato '97 is Vice President of Educational Strategy & Workforce Development for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) where she has been employed since 2001. Her responsibilities include leading the team for all of NBAA’s Professional Development activities reflecting NBAA’s emphasis on Workforce Development and Diversity & Inclusion. Jo works with both her coworkers and NBAA’s volunteer members on continuously building on educational experiences, peer to peer engagement, and helping to further the diverse, inclusive, and innovative culture and processes at NBAA.  Jo is active with Women in Aviation International, Women in Corporate Aviation and the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics Alumni Board. In 2010, she helped launch an all-volunteer non-profit organization, Sky Hope Network, which in 2018 merged with Patient Air Lift Services. She has been featured on the cover of Aviation for Women magazine and was also a longtime columnist for the publication. In 2012, Jo was named one of Airport Business magazine’s Inaugural Top 40 Under Forty. A current Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), Jo holds a Single and Multi-Engine Land Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot Certificate, and is a Certified Aviation Manager. She holds a B.S. in Aviation Management/Flight Option Specialization from the Florida Institute of Technology and obtained a Masters of Aeronautical Science Degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Jo lives in South New Jersey with her airline pilot husband, Berty ’92, and their two sons, where she enjoys rooting for the Phillies, going to the shore, and training for marathons.

Olivia McKelvey is a senior from Ann Arbor, Michigan majoring in marketing with a minor in communications. She is the editor-in-chief of Florida Tech’s student-run newspaper, The Crimson. This past year, Olivia has reported on the Clery Act and uncovered the under-reporting of crime statistics at the university, including sexual assault. In light of her reporting, Florida Tech has reformed their Title IX policies and submitted a corrective report with the U.S. Department of Education. She hopes that the campus is a safer place for women who have been sexually assaulted and would like to report their cases. In the future, Olivia hopes to work in a newsroom as an investigative reporter to continue to shed light on important issues. 

Sharon has been a faculty member at Florida Tech for nearly fifty years, first as an adjunct teaching English for the School of Aeronautics, then moving to a full-time instructor position in the Humanities Department, then promoted to assistant professor in 1980. Sharon currently teaches Scientific & Technical Communication and helped design the online course for that same subject. She co-authored the book Technical Writing in Private Industry in 1990 and also has published four children’s books. Sharon met her late husband Jim at Florida Tech, who taught math and electronics for the School of Aeronautics. A true Panther family, both of their children received their degrees from Florida Tech.

In addition to being a professor at Florida Tech, Irvin has been active in the community, first as a volunteer EMT/driver for Harbor City Volunteer Ambulance Squad (also co-authoring the book Pictorial History of Harbor City Volunteer Ambulance Sq. 1966-1999), and currently serves as a volunteer for Brevard Habitat for Humanity. 

Alison has worked at Florida Tech for seven years in the role of Director of Internal Audit. Alison has more than eighteen years of experience in internal auditing, risk management, and project management. She received a BBA double major in Accounting and in Information Technology from Pittsburg State University in Kansas. In the past, she has worked for the consulting divisions of the first and fifth largest public accounting firms in the country. In 2009, she was honored with Brevard’s “4 under 40” young professional award.

In addition to her primary role at Florida Tech, Alison has led the annual United Way campaign on campus for the past two years, raising more than $119,00 each year, representing a nearly 20 percent increase to the previous campaigns. Under Bogart’s leadership, Florida Tech was honored with a Campaign Achievement Award in 2019; this award is earned by organizations that significantly increase their workplace campaigns by implementing a number of campaign “best practices,” including incentives, increased educational outreach, and fun activities to engage the workforce.

Alison has taken on other volunteer roles with United Way in recent years, serving as a board member, leading the finance and governance committee, and as a fund distribution volunteer. She also served as the chair for Emerging Leaders, an initiative of United Way of Brevard. In 2014, she was honored with the 2014 Kathy King Award for outstanding community impact volunteer.

Since first moving to Brevard County in 2006, Alison’s community participation includes serving as: the treasurer of ConnectedBy25, a Brevard agency helping teen foster children; treasurer and regional representative and secretary on the board of directors for Catholic Charities of Central Florida; treasurer of LEAD Brevard; 2008 Florida Today’s Citizens Advisory Panel; seventh grade Sunday School teacher at St. John’s Catholic Church; a member of the Parish Advisory Council at St. John’s Catholic Church; and a Space Coast key alumnae for Tri-Sigma sorority.