A 30-year veteran of the airline and aerospace industries, David Grizzle opened the doors for his consultancy Dazzle Partners in 2008. Grizzle has served as Chief Operating Officer for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) overseeing the nation’s air traffic control system, Acting Deputy Administrator of the FAA, and Senior Vice President of Continental Airlines.

With Dazzle Partners (a moniker derived from his first and last name, which he used as his “handle” while serving in Afghanistan), Grizzle continues to bring transactional expertise and passion for operational excellence to his aerospace and new enterprise clients. Over his wide-ranging career, Grizzle spearheaded industry-shaping deals, including the SkyTeam Alliance on behalf of Continental Airlines and remediating the tenuous relationship between the FAA’s unions and management.

Grizzle has built a reputation as an insightful collaborator, often seeking opportunities for synergy in the midst of opposition. His fearless approach to potential alliances stems from his early career in mergers and acquisitions with several New York-based firms. Once in the aviation space, Grizzle developed a relentless pursuit of bringing people, even competitors, together around common interests. This served him well during his tenure with Texas Air Corporation (later Continental Airlines), which was at one time the largest airline holding company in the world.

Grizzle’s realm at Continental included the marketing, strategic planning and international alliances divisions. He also founded Continental’s Customer Experience operation, bringing data-driven, customer-directed quality improvement to the airline. Grizzle was also an early champion of the SkyTeam global alliance, selling the concept within Continental and amongst the partner airlines. Grizzle’s strength in envisioning combined structures that provide mutual benefit to all parties allowed him to forge the necessary relationships for a successful coalition.

In 2004, Grizzle served the State Department for 14 months, as part of the U.S. Government’s reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, overseeing aviation, roads, power and communication projects. His commitment to collaboration served him well, bringing together competing interests in order to create sustainable solutions.

In 2009, Grizzle was appointed by President Obama to serve as Chief Counsel for the FAA. Over the next four and a half years, Grizzle lent his vast experience to numerous roles within the organization, including Acting Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer. In his role as COO, Grizzle was the head of Air Traffic Control. His efforts to improve the relationship between the unions and management contributed to a 60% jump in the FAA’s ranking on the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government list during his tenure.

Growing up poor in Georgia as the son of a brick stacker, Grizzle’s dream of running his own company came after reading an entire set of encyclopedias that his mother purchased at the grocery store. After reading that Harvard University had the world’s largest university library, Grizzle made his mind up to one day attend the prestigious university. He later did, earning both his bachelor’s in Government and his law degree from Harvard.

Though his career has taken him far from the experience of his youth, Grizzle is still a dreamer. His passion for transactions and operations has grown throughout his career, and he views the corporate world as the greatest platform for large-scale social impact. Grizzle brings tenacity, insight and fearlessness to his clients, as he advises them on high-value growth opportunities.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Grizzle has long been involved in charitable and community-building efforts. He and Anne, his wife of over 40 years, support numerous causes, with special interest in microenterprise and economic development opportunities in underserved communities. In his own words, Grizzle states, “I was, and still am, a dreamer. There’s nothing greater than giving others the opportunity to dream dreams.”

Grizzle serves on the Board of Directors of Republic Airways, Vivio Health, Mission Aviation Fellowship, Kendal at Lexington, Rockbridge Community Health Foundation and the advisory boards of Dynamic Aviation and the Harvard Law School Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies Program. He and his wife Anne have three sons and seven grandchildren.