Marcela White the founder of Tavaero Jet Charter was born in Tripoli, Libya, the youngest of four children, the daughter of an American father and Peruvian mother. Her father's work took him across the globe, fostering many characteristics that would serve her well such as acceptance of diverse cultures and customs, a deep-rooted belief that dreams can come true when one works hard and above all, perseverance. Her aviation career began in 1986 when she joined her sister's private jet charter company. Ultimately, when her sister left for greener pastures, Marcela's entrepreneurial spirit compelled her to continue working in the aircraft charter industry. little did she know the impact a charter could have on someone's life. Most people think of aircraft charter as an incredibly luxurious way to travel, avoiding the many challenges of traveling on commercial airlines. While that is true, the unseen side of private charter is the ability to bring severely burned children to the Shriners Hospital in Galveston, or even transporting organs to people whose lives depend on those time critical flights. These are just a couple of examples that left indelible marks on her throughout her 35-year career. Tavaero Jet Charter is an aircraft charter company based at Houston Hobby airport. It currently employs 47 employees and operates 10 jet aircraft ranging from very light jets to heavy jets. Marcela and Renato bought this company in 1999 from the estate of Thomas A. Vaughn (thus the TAV in Tavaero). She feels a large part of her success is her continued attempt to understand those who work beside and for her. In 1995, she earned her private pilot license, to better understand a day in the life of a pilot. Surely, she thought if she had to manage a group of pilots, this would help her be a better manager. It did and later, when she also got her cabin attendant certifications and traveled with different pilots on their flights, she lerned first-hand the challenges faced by each pilot. The secondary benefit was that she could communicate those challenges and time constraints to those sitting in offices who had no experience in that flight crew environment, thereby improving communication, a critical skill in any industry. Her years of being a dispatcher and on call 24/7 made it easy to work with and understand her dispatchers. She could better related to their stressors like sleepless nights spent fielding calls and quoting trips in the middle of the night. Her marriage of 34 years to her amazing husband, Renato, Director of Maintenance to the company, produced two incredible daughters, Isabel and Sophia, both grown and working on their own. She raised her children and continues living in Friendswood, Texas. Her hobbies include mentoring women in the aviation industry as well as playing tennis, hiking and traveling to new places. She is actively involved in the National Business Aircraft Association and South Texas Business Aviation Association and a mentor at Women in Corporate Aviation. In the blink of an eye, 35 years has passed, and many competitors have come and gone. Above all, she attributes her success to everyone that works at Tavaero Jet Charter. She is very appreciative of those that work hard and go the extra mile because they want the company to succeed. She considers herself immensely fortunate to work alongside each and every team member.