Program Advisory Committee

Stephen Austin has lived in local area since 2004. His aviation career started 1986 with an enlistment to the Air Force as a Crew Chief (aircraft mechanic) on the F-15 Eagle. 

While in the Air Force he obtained his A&P license and took flying lessons at the Aero Club. After four years of active duty service, he joined the New York Air National Guard as a Flight Engineer on the C-5 Galaxy and served there for 10 years. He then transferred to the Air Force Reserves as a CAP liaison. He retired from the military in 2007.

His pilot career started with a northeast commuter airline and then in 1996 to TWA where he flew the MD80 and Boeing 757/767. During a 13-year furlough from American Airlines, Steve joined NetJets Aviation flying a variety of business jet aircraft. His college education comes from the University of New Haven where he holds a Bachelor of Science in Air Transportation Management.

Currently, he is a Captain on the Airbus 319/320/321 for American Airlines based in New York. Steve is the president of a local homeowners’ association and has served on the Epic Flight Academy scholarship selection committee since its inception. He enjoys boating, hiking, flying RC airplanes, and traveling with his family.  

Suzanne Markle is President and Chief Executive Officer of Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, overseeing the strategic direction and daily operation of all PIA locations and programs.

Since joining the organization in 1999, Markle has served in various positions. These include general studies faculty, coordinator for educational development, assistant to the dean, director of alumni services, and director of admissions. From 2010 until her appointment as President/CEO in 2017, she served as PIA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Having held such a variety of positions within PIA, Markle enjoys a unique vantage point from which strategic initiatives can be launched. She has a firm understanding of operational and budgetary capability, regulatory compliance, curriculum design, and the needs of the market and industries served by Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics.

Markle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from California University of Pennsylvania. She also hold a Master of Business Administration degree from Seton Hill University. A native of the Pittsburgh area, Markle serves on the Board of Directors for Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics and the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators. In 2020, the US Department of Transportation appointed her to serve on its Women in Aviation Advisory Board (WIABB). She serves as a team leader for the Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges. Additionally, she is an active member in a host of other business and education associations which support the school’s mission.

Cam Murphy is President of FEAM AERO, a family-owned company headquartered in Miami, Florida. FEAM has become one of the largest third-party MRO providers in the nation with over 1,500 technicians in 40+ locations throughout the US and Europe.

Cam is a people-first leader and has been in aviation his whole life, growing up in the family business. His experiences include positions in almost every department. He joined the leadership ranks in 2010 after departing from a niche aircraft staffing company he started. Cam’s focuses are FEAM’s strategic vision, technology, corporate culture, continuous improvement initiatives and the FEAM TEAM.

Cam received a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University (TCU) and holds an MBA in Aerospace and Defense, with a green belt certification in lean MRO, from the University of Tennessee. He received the Forbes’s 30 Under 30 award in 2017, which recognizes 600 of the brightest young entrepreneurs, innovators and game changers in the U.S. In 2022, Cam was awarded Key Executives to watch in 2022 by Aviation Week, which recognized top executives who are making waves in aerospace and defense industry.

Cam serves on multiple boards, including: the advisory board for University of Tennessee, The Greater Miami Aviation Association, United Way Young Leaders Board of Miami, Miami Country Day, and YPO’s Executive Committee.