Sheryl Barden

President and CEO, Aviation Personnel International

Sheryl Barden has always been connected to people in aviation – especially because she grew up in and around the business aviation recruiting firm, Aviation Personnel International (API), where she now serves as the company’s president and CEO.

With the sole focus of selecting the right people for flight departments of two to two hundred, the API team recruits for all mission-critical roles in business aviation, including aviation leaders, pilots, maintenance professionals, cabin crew and schedulers and dispatchers.

Barden and her team manage the hiring practices for private and corporate flight departments, keeping top of mind the nuances of working inside a hangar and at 30,000 feet. She understands that finding the right person is less about type rating and number of flight hours and more about whether he or she has the same values, passion and safety focus as the potential employer.

Having been a lifelong career ‘matchmaker’ in business aviation, Barden has emerged as a leading authority on hiring and leadership development practices, and is a frequent industry speaker. Based in San Francisco, she’s an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management, Flight Safety Foundation, Women in Corporate Aviation and the International Women’s Forum.

She earned an MBA from the Masagung School of Business at the University of San Francisco and a B.S. in management with an emphasis in personnel management from Pennsylvania State University.

Last updated Oct. 13, 2021