Former Tennessee Athlete/Entrepreneur Provides Flight Training for At-Risk Youth

TN – Steve Davis played football and majored in business at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. After working in the General Electric lighting division for six years in Oakbrook, Illinois, he followed his entrepreneurial spirit and founded The Will Group, named in honor of his father William and which now comprises several companies well-known for lighting and electrical products.

Along the way, Steve caught the aviation bug and in 2004 was appointed to the board of the DuPage Airport Authority, owner/operator of the DuPage Airport (DPA) in West Chicago, Illinois. In 2013 he became the first African-American in DuPage County history to lead the board, and during his tenure, he became aware of the shortage of pilots and maintenance technicians facing the industry. He saw an opportunity to help meet that challenge and at the same time make a positive impact on at-risk youth in the DuPage-Wheaton area of West Chicago. In 2015 Steve and his wife Tanya established Tuskegee NEXT, a fellowship program that provides young people facing obstacles the chance to achieve something they never imagined as pilots and other aviation professionals. Founded in the spirit of the Tuskegee Airmen, it is an intense, 8-week immersion in aviation whose goal is to produce 100 pilots by 2025. So far 50 students have received their private certificates, and this year Davis expanded the program to his hometown of Knoxville.