Aviation has been an integral part of ACE CEO/President Patrick Alexander’s life since he was a young boy. At the tender age of 16 months, his father, Julius Alexander, the founder of ACE, took him on his first airplane ride. As Patrick grew older, his father began teaching him to fly, and on his 16th birthday, he made his first solo flight. Two years later, on his 18th birthday, he earned his Private Pilot’s license.

In January 1984, Patrick enrolled in Atlanta Area Technical School and graduated in 1986 as an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic. While pursuing his maintenance degree, he also enrolled in a joint program with Atlanta Junior College to earn an Associate Degree in Aviation Maintenance Technology. Throughout his academic journey, Patrick continued flying and earned additional licenses and ratings that brought him closer to his dream of becoming an airline pilot.

Patrick will always cherish the fact that his father, Julius Alexander, was his sole flight instructor and trained him for all of his pilot ratings, including Instrument, Commercial, Multi-Engine, and Flight Instructor.

In November 1988, Patrick joined Northwest Airlines as an A&P mechanic at their Atlanta maintenance facility. While working at Northwest, he pursued his Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Management at Georgia State University. During this period, he also served as a Certified Flight Instructor at ACE, teaching both youth and adults to fly. In December 1994, he graduated from Georgia State University with his BS Degree in Aviation Management.

In November 1995, Northwest Airlines internally hired Patrick as a First Officer on the DC-9, the very airplane he had worked on as a mechanic when he first joined the airline. After three years of flying the DC-9, he upgraded to flying the B-757 as a First Officer and remained in that role for eight years. In 2007, he returned to the DC-9 as Captain and stayed there for six years. In 2008, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines merged, and Patrick continued to serve as Captain on the DC-9.

In 2015, Patrick upgraded to Captain on the B-757-767. In 2021, his father appointed him as the President/CEO of ACE, a fitting appointment considering Patrick’s deep understanding of ACE’s mission. Before the passing of ACE founder, Julius Alexander, he expressed his satisfaction with the direction of ACE and his confidence in Patrick’s ability to continue the organization’s mission of “Molding Protégés Into Professionals.”