FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2024

Media Contact: Jennifer Abshire
Abshire Public Relations
912.695.7881
pr@abshirepr.com

Alumnus Inspired Crucial Improvements to Airline Safety

Savannah, GA – Savannah State University (SSU) is proud to announce that 1981 alumnus Michael Williams, founder and CEO of Jetaire Flight Systems, LLC, will be the guest speaker at the 205th fall commencement ceremony for more than 200 students at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at T.A. Wright Stadium.

“Each commencement is a delight as we see these promising young students leave our halls to take on the world,” said SSU Interim President Cynthia Alexander. “We’re so pleased to have Mr. Williams return to his alma mater to share with our most recent graduates his wisdom from a lifetime of achievements in aeronautics innovation.”

As a newlywed, recent college graduate, Williams was working as an engineer in the airline industry when a flight he was scheduled to be on crashed into the Potomac killing dozens of people. This tragic incident sparked a lifelong passion for aviation safety and spurred Williams to found a global aerospace manufacturing and engineering organization, in 1984. Headquartered in Fayetteville, Ga., Jetaire has grown to four offices providing aerospace industry safety initiatives in 64 countries.

Jetaire is most well known for its patented INVICTA technology, which suppresses in-flight fuel tank fires caused by heated fuel vapor, tank rupture or lightning strikes. Used in Boeing and Airbus aircraft around the world, the dependable, effective innovation has safeguarded millions of lives for nearly three decades.

The ardent aviation safety advocate has been repeatedly recognized for the numerous inventions that have made worldwide air travel safer over the last four decades. Georgia aviation professionals recently selected the Macon, Ga.-native to be a 2025 inductee into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. He also received the coveted Epps Aviation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021, the noteworthy Georgia Department of Economic Development Globe Award in 2020 and was one of the youngest and one of the first African Americans to receive the Federal Aviation Administration’s Designated Engineering Representative appointment, an honor he maintained for 33 years.

In addition to his remarkable career achievements, Williams actively supports the SSU Foundation and the University’s scholarship programs, most recently serving as co-chair for SSU’s 25th Anniversary Scholarship Gala, which raised $412,000 in scholarships in May. Having continued his post graduate studies at Kellogg Graduate School of Management and Clark Atlanta University, Williams values education and actively seeks opportunities to inspire and educate young minds about the world of aviation. During this year’s commencement speech, Williams will share his insights on resilience in the midst of change and becoming a world citizen.

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About SSU:

Established in 1890, Savannah State University is the first public historically black college and university in Georgia and the first institution of higher learning in the city of Savannah. Students select majors from 30 undergraduate and five graduate programs in four colleges – Business Administration, Education, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and Sciences and Technology. Learn more by visiting savannahstate.edu.

About Jetaire Flight Systems LLC:

Jetaire Group, established in 1984, is a full-service avionics and aircraft engineering firm providing high-quality services to clients in the aviation and aerospace industries. Headquartered in Fayetteville, Ga., Jetaire specializes in fuel tank safety, ignition mitigation, and FAR and FTFR certifications that comply with FAA, EASA, AFAC, ANAC & TCCA requirements. With offices and dedicated employees worldwide, Jetaire has provided more than 150 value-added technical and engineering solutions to customers in 64 countries.