Fast Five: Five Questions For Corporate Angel Network's CEO

Founded in 1981, the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) has pursued its mission to provide cancer patients with transportation to treatment centers onboard corporate aircraft. To date, the nonprofit organization has conducted more than 68,000 flights with help from donations from businesses, organizations and individuals.

CAN is led by its newly appointed CEO Robert Stangarone, whose career in aviation spans leadership positions with Embraer, Cessna Aircraft, now Textron Aviation, and United Technologies.

1 - What inspired you to join Corporate Angel Network?

I have known the people at Corporate Angel Network for a number of years and have always admired the mission. And so, when I was approached about the job, I really jumped out, and I thought it was a fantastic way to cap a career. I’m really grateful and honored that they want me ... I always believed in giving back. I’ve been involved in Able Flight, The Red Cross, the [New England] Air Museum, some STEM programs, the Special Olympics Airlift—and those are such fantastic, heartwarming experiences. It just fills a part of your life that you can’t get from anywhere else, and to have it coupled with aviation is like the cherry on the cake.

2 - What is your vision for the future of CAN?

It’s very focused. It’s all about saving lives and reducing cancer patients’ physical, emotional and financial stress as they go through treatment. And there are two components to achieving that. We need to increase awareness of our services in the patient community so they know they can come to us if they have the need to travel to their treatment centers. The other component is to have the seats available on corporate aircraft to fill those missions ... Both of those objectives require extensive outreach and relationship building in lots of different ways, and that’s where I’ll be spending much of my time. We also need to reach out to the business aviation community to maximize the number of seats available on corporate aircraft. This is a huge challenge—because of the shortfall in lift capability, we just can’t fill all the patient requests we get.

3 - What are some of the biggest challenges you expect to face with CAN?

I think, certainly, one challenge is financial. It’s making sure that we have the revenue stream to support the mission and grow the mission. I think that’s the fundamental urgency. I think we want to take this to the next level. I believe this can go exponential in the years ahead, because it’s such an untapped area, and I think we have the human resources to do it. I have so many relationships in place with every sector of aviation, because of the number of companies I’ve been with and the length of my service in this industry. So, I think I could bring all that to the table and bring it to the next level.

4 - How does CAN raise funds for its operations?

Our biggest revenue source is from our annual event, which we call Fund An Angel, which generates several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of revenue through ticket sales and auctions, donations, sponsorships and that sort of thing. We also receive corporate and individual contributions and grants from foundations, but overall, it’s an ongoing effort to continue to raise funds and to keep our capabilities growing, so we can serve more patients in the years ahead.

5 - If someone would like to get involved with CAN, what should they do?

We’re always looking for volunteers. A lot of the volunteers we have schedule the flights with the patients; it’s a very rewarding part of the operation. You interface with patients, with medical centers, with the corporate leads and you put them together to fulfill the missions. Donations are always welcome, and if anyone wants to learn more, I would welcome them to call me directly or call our office and we would be happy to see how we can work together. I’m sure there’s something for everybody.