In 2016, Evey Cormican embarked on an executive MBA after recovering from an aggressive form of breast cancer that had forced her to step away from her career as an airline pilot. She had always wanted to pursue an MBA, and her diagnosis served as the catalyst for her decision. Despite feeling grounded, the EMBA program provided her with a sense of purpose and confidence during a difficult time. Education has played a significant role throughout her career, which has spanned from being a pilot to teaching others and now founding a virtual reality pilot training startup.
Her initial fascination with aviation began in eighth grade when her journalism teacher assigned her to interview someone in a profession she believed she couldn’t pursue herself. Living near an airport, she chose to interview a pilot, believing that only military men could become pilots. However, during the interview, her curiosity grew, and she ended up going for a flight, solidifying her passion for aviation. She started learning to fly at the age of 16 and completed her training at the University of North Dakota before securing a job with Continental Airlines.
Throughout her career, training and teaching became integral aspects of her work. She held various educational roles at both Continental and United Airlines, including human factors training, instructing other pilots, and serving on the Air Line Pilots Association’s training committee. Teaching and learning have always been sources of fulfillment for her, along with flying itself.
During an entrepreneurial class at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Cormican, despite her initial lack of technical knowledge, found herself working with tech experts. As they discussed aviation, simulation, and training, the topic of virtual reality and augmented reality emerged. Cormican became captivated by these technologies and saw their potential for revolutionizing pilot training.
In 2017, during a second leave of absence due to complications from her treatment, Cormican founded Visionary Training Resources (VTR). VTR specializes in virtual reality airline pilot training to help address the industry’s pilot shortage while maintaining safety standards. The company also explores other applications of VR in aviation, such as soft skills development, onboarding, interviewing, and staff training.
Cormican credits her EMBA experience at Kellogg with helping her establish and grow her business. Many of her senior executives, investors, and advisors are from the Kellogg network, whose expertise has proven invaluable. The EMBA program taught her the importance of building a strong team, as emphasized by Professor Harry Kraemer’s leadership classes.
She also highlights Professor Leigh Thompson’s class on leading high-impact teams, which challenged her existing leadership approach. As a captain in her previous career, Cormican thought she knew how to lead teams, but the class taught her the significance of empowering her team members and stepping back to let them take charge.
Cormican now applies these lessons to her role at VTR. She no longer micromanages every aspect but instead maintains a wider perspective and allows her team, who possess superior knowledge and skills, to excel. Leading a high-impact team means providing support and guidance rather than taking control.
After completing her EMBA, Cormican’s husband, also a pilot, decided to pursue the program. Her advice to anyone considering an EMBA is to seize the opportunity without waiting for perfect timing or circumstances. The transformative experience will shape them into a better version of themselves, making the journey worthwhile.
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