Gregory Sumner

Captain Gregory Sumner

WMU Alumnus, United Airlines Captain, WMU Alumni Association Board, Co-Chair National Gay Pilots Association

Captain Gregory Sumner earned his B.S. in Aviation Technology and Operations and a B.A. in Spanish from WMU in 1997. He was a 1992 Medallion Scholar and graduate of the Lee Honors College. His thesis, “The Pratt & Whitney 4060: Power for the Future,” was advised by College of Aviation Hall of Fame professors Thomas Deckard and Doc Swanson. Sumner was hired by United Airlines in 2000 and has held numerous professional and volunteer positions. He completed his Executive M.B.A. with the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in 2013. In 2016, the WMU Department of Spanish awarded him an Alumni Achievement Award.  As Co-Chair of the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA), Sumner’s work supports and unites the LGBT aviation community worldwide. Through education, social events, and outreach they advance their primary goals: to promote aviation safety; provide an affirming social and professional network for the LGBT aviation community; foster equal treatment of the LGBT aviation community through advocacy and outreach; and encourage members of the LGBT community to begin careers in aviation. While concurrently serving on the WMU Alumni Association Board of Directors and the NGPA Education Fund Board leadership, Sumner has been instrumental in solidifying WMU as an aviation program that invests and supports all forms of diversity. Sumner currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his husband and Michigan native, Kevin Arnett, and enjoys living near his retiree-parents, Steven and Barbara Sumner, who have strongly supported his aviation career.