Leadership
The Linear Air team brings together an exceptional roster of talent—a tight-knit group of industry leaders, all of whom share a common belief: the democratization of private air travel. Every member of the Linear Air team is dedicated to this singular mission. And every member of the team just happens to love flying, as well.
William E. Herp, President and CEO
William Herp is one of today’s leading entrepreneurs, with a long history of launching and exponentially growing companies—game-changing businesses that tap into selective market wants, and needs. Prior to Linear Air, Mr. Herp founded the widely recognized e-Dialog, a global online marketing technology firm that re-envisioned e-mail and marketing services, quickly becoming a must-buy for U.S. and multi-national brands.
Mr. Herp has also served as VP and CFO of Geerlings & Wade, the preeminent consumer direct marketing firm and Inc. 500 Fast Growth Company that went public during his tenure.
Mr. Herp holds an MBA from Harvard and a BA from Notre Dame. He is an Instrument Rated Commercial Pilot and a leading member of the community who serves young entrepreneurs on the board of directors of Junior Achievement of Eastern Massachusetts.
Welles C. Hatch, Vice President and CFO
Welles Hatch is an experienced financial and operations executive with a deep background leading technology companies through expansion stage growth. In his role of Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Hatch staged organizations for scale development and investment, directing accounting, risk management, human resources, and information systems, as well as spearheading efforts in strategic planning, debt and equity capital raising and investor relations. Welles is on Linear Air’s board of managers.
Mr. Hatch holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an MBA in international business finance from George Washington University. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and Financial Executives International and serves on the board of a number of local non-profit organizations.
John Ackermann, Chief Strategist
John Ackermann has been a leading presence in the travel industry for over 25 years. A former member of the SABRE development team that pioneered travel agency automation in the mid-1970s, Mr. Ackermann founded e-Travel, Inc., the groundbreaking online corporate travel management service, in 1995. Over the course of his storied career, Mr. Ackermann has held executive positions at a number of Fortune 500 companies. He has been responsible for the development of numerous systems, processes, and applications that have increased efficiencies for both suppliers and corporations.
Mr. Ackermann earned a B.A., with Highest Distinction, from Penn State University.
William Griffen, Vice President Flight Operations
Colonel William Griffen, USMC (Retired), is a veteran pilot and aviation expert, having served 26 years in the United States Marine Corps, flying more than 3,900 hours in a various carrier-based, fighter-attack aircraft, principally the FA-18. During his decorated military career—he was a recipient of the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal—Col. Griffen served in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, as well as numerous carrier and land-based deployments in Asia, the Balkans, and the Persian Gulf.
Col. Griffen has commanded Marines at both the squadron and group levels, and is highly experienced at leading large teams in aviation operations, maintenance, and safety. He has also held a commercial multi-engine jet instrument certificate since 1981.
Col. Griffen earned his BA and MPA degrees from Harvard and was a Marine Corps fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Andrew Locke, Senior Director of Corporate Development and Technology
Prior to joining Linear Air, Andrew Locke developed an expertise in operations and technology during 10 years at leading companies such as Capital One, Fidelity, and Xpedior, as well as a number of start-up ventures. While at Xpedior, Locke helped spearhead the development of Xpedior’s wireless solution practice and worked with numerous clients, including E*Trade Bank and MCI Worldcom.
Locke is a licensed private pilot. He holds an MBA from Babson College and a BBA from Vanderbilt University.
Dan Lynch, Senior Director of Sales
Dan Lynch has over 20 years of experience in the development of sales channels and marketing strategies for entrepreneurial businesses in emerging spaces. Early in his career, Lynch founded and operated his own business. Since selling his company, he’s spent the past decade forging new sales, marketing, and business development capabilities by applying disruptive technology. His background includes work in a number of innovative sectors, including entertainment, B2B, and transportation technology.
Lynch is a member of the National Business Travel Association and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives. He holds a BS in Finance from Bentley College.
Michael Goulian, Director of Operations
Mr. Goulian is one of the industry's most well-rounded and respected aviators. As a corporate pilot, he has amassed over six thousand hours in many different types of aircraft and holds type ratings in the Cessna and Lear families of turbine aircraft. Mr. Goulian operates Executive Flyers Aviation (EFA), the largest flight training facility in the Northeast United States.
Sean Dignan, Chief Pilot
Mr. Dignan has amassed thousands of flying hours during his aviation career with both the Armed Forces and commercial carriers. His experience in flight operations and aircraft maintenance includes Delta Airlines, the United States Army and Army National Guard, US Airways Express, and United Express.
Mr. Dignan holds an Air Transport Pilot certificate with type ratings in multi-engine turboprop and turbojet airplanes. He also possesses an airframe and powerplant mechanic certificate and is a certified flight instructor for airplanes and instrument training.
Amy Drachman, Consulting Director of Human Resources
Amy Drachman has held senior in-house HR positions at public and private companies in the high technology, professional services, and manufacturing fields as well as supported a wide spectrum of organizations as a consultant. Ms. Drachman brings a wealth of knowledge to Linear Air from a previous career as a lawyer where she spent four years solely focused on employment law. Since then, Ms. Drachman has gained significant experience working with start-ups and emerging growth employers at CMGi, NovaSoft and Vividon, where she managed the day to day HR operations while developing infrastructure and HR strategy.
She received her BA degree from Barnard College, magna cum laude and holds a law degree from NYU. Amy is a member of the Private Sector Network of Inner City Entrepreneurs.
Robert Freitas, Director of Maintenance
Robert Freitas has nearly 40 years experience in aircraft maintenance operations, including more than 30 as Director of Maintenance. Mr. Freitas previously served as Director of Maintenance for Wiggins Airways, a subcontractor operating more than 20 Cessna Caravans for Federal Express in Manchester, New Hampshire.