President’s Award Winner Vanessa Stevens

Piedmont Safety and Regulatory Compliance

Nomination: Vanessa Stevens has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment to Piedmont Airlines by going above and beyond the expectations of every role she has held within the Safety organization. From the moment she joined the team as a Safety Monitoring Analyst, Vanessa immersed herself in her responsibilities and quickly became a trusted contributor. Early in her career, Vanessa took ownership of the LOSA program, proactively increasing awareness and engagement within the pilot group. Through her efforts, she helped strengthen understanding of the program’s purpose and value, reinforcing Piedmont’s commitment to a just, non‑punitive safety culture. Her initiative, strong work ethic, and ability to connect with others led to her promotion to Senior Flight Safety Investigator in a short period of time.

In her current role, Vanessa continues to exceed expectations. She has significantly improved the quality and usability of FOQA data, not only ensuring accuracy and compliance, but also enhancing how the data is analyzed and presented to better support proactive safety decision‑making. In addition, Vanessa has played a critical role in the transition to a new safety software system, fully embracing the change and taking the lead in developing new processes and defining how the organization will use the system moving forward.

Vanessa’s dedication, technical expertise, and willingness to step forward during times of change exemplify the level of commitment worthy of Piedmont’s highest honor.

Vanessa Stevens consistently exemplifies Piedmont’s values of caring, compliance, communication, and community through her leadership and teamwork. Her work with the LOSA program is a strong example of both caring and communication. Vanessa took deliberate steps to increase pilot awareness and understanding of the program, helping foster trust and reinforcing a culture where safety concerns can be openly shared. Her approach strengthened collaboration between the Safety department and the pilot group, positively impacting participation and engagement. In her role as Senior Flight Safety Investigator, Vanessa’s leadership has had a direct impact on compliance and operational reliability. By improving FOQA data quality and implementing meaningful enhancements, she has helped ensure the data accurately reflects operational performance and supports proactive risk management. These improvements have strengthened the Safety team’s ability to identify trends and support a reliable operation.

During the transition to a new safety software system, Vanessa demonstrated outstanding teamwork and community‑building. She stepped into a leadership role, helping develop processes, sharing knowledge, and supporting teammates as they adapted to the new system. Her willingness to collaborate and guide others through change has created lasting improvements in how the team operates and works together. Through these actions, Vanessa has made a lasting impact on Piedmont Airlines by strengthening safety culture, supporting compliance, improving communication, and fostering a strong sense of community. Her contributions continue to benefit the Safety department, the pilot group, and the overall operation.