A 1999 MBA graduate with a concentration in Computer Information Systems (CIS), Biron began her career before she graduated from college. "I got involved in advertising sales and was very success¬ful at an early age," she said. "But by the time I was 25, I felt like I had already peaked in my career. I hadn't finished college and realized that if I wanted to make a career change, I would have to move in with my mom to go back and complete my degree."
After finishing her undergraduate degree in finance, Biron enrolled in Robinson's MBA program and attended classes at the Perimeter location, which was more than an hour commute from her mom's home in Carrollton, Georgia. But for Biron, the commute was worth it. "I was looking to launch a new career, so I not only needed to learn the skills, I also needed experience, and that's what I got at Robinson," said Biron. "We had many class projects where we worked with local busi nesses on real-world issues."
One project in particular helped Biron launch her own business. "At the time e-commerce was just taking off, and many smaller businesses were looking to reach more customers through the internet. Our assignment was to find a company and work with them to design a website." The company Biron's group partnered with liked what her group created and paid them for their work. Biron took to web designing and began to freelance, helping small businesses integrate the web into their business. By graduation she had amassed 25 clients, membership in Beta Gamma Sigma (the honor society for business programs), and a plan to relocate to Lake Tahoe to start a new life. But fate had other plans.
At the same time she started at Robinson, Biron also began volunteering as an "Earth Angel" (a term the organization uses to describe nonpilot volunteers) at Angel Flight of Georgia. "I was looking to do some volunteer work and was familiar with the organization since my mom was friends with Jim Shafer [the founder of Angel Flight]. Because it was small, I was involved in all aspects of the organization." Biron used her web skills to design their first website, penned their newsletter, and helped with fund-raising efforts. She received the organization's Award for Outstanding Community Service and was appointed to the Board of Directors. She was just 29 years old.
Then, just as she was about to graduate and take off for Tahoe, Angel Flight's president resigned due to the diagnosis of a terminal illness. The organization was in desperate need of a new leader, someone with a lot of energy and the ability to put things in order. Without hesitation Biron stepped up and volunteered to put the necessary systems in place with the stipulation that she would stay only for six months.
But once again, fate stepped in, and on the same day that Biron began her new role at Angel Flight, she got a call that her 31-year old brother had just suffered a fatal heart attack. "To say I was stopped in my tracks shocked would be an understatement," she said. Motivated by her own grief, she threw herself into the organization. "I had all of these emotions and felt like I needed to do something that would help other people in medical need, so I put all of my energies into Angel Flight."
Biron began by totally restructuring the organization, developing and implementing state-of-the-art systems. Under her leadership and with her mom by her side, the organization has grown by more than 550 percent, increasing the number of missions from just over 200 in 1999 to last year's total of approximately 1,800 across 19 states. She has also increased the num ber of volunteer pilots from 100 to 800.
The organization's growth has enabled Angel Flight to come to the rescue of more than just individual patients. On September 11, as the country stood paralyzed by the terrorist attacks, Biron and her staff worked quickly to put Angel Flight's services to work. "On September 12 we received special permission from the FAA and began flying disaster relief coordinators, mental health counselors, firefighters, and rescue workers to Ground Zero and the Pentagon," she said. Within two weeks of the tragedy, Angel Flight had coordinated more than 70 missions to directly support the relief eff orts and to help mitigate problems that resulted from the disaster.
In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Angel Flight's volunteer pilots flew 450 relief missions, transporting life sustaining supplies, medical equipment, and volunteer personnel into some of the hardest hit areas.
Now, seven years later, Biron remains at the helm of Angel Flight. Thinking back to those first few months, she says that Angel Flight actually saved her by giving her a purpose at a time when she needed it. She also said that everything she has put into Angel Flight has come back to her tenfold and questions what she would do if she ever left the organization.
"Every day I get to come to work and know that what I do matters," says Biron. "As they say, that's a hard act to follow." way.
