Cleveland State University recognized Cleveland-Marshall College of Law alumnus Kenneth C Ricci '86 as the college’s 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. Ricci received the honor at the September 30 awards ceremony, on the basis of his distinguished record of service, leadership and professional achievements as part of Homecoming Weekend.
Ricci is a principal of Directional Aviation Capital, which owns a number of enterprises including Flexjet and Constant Aviation. A 35-year aviation industry veteran and pilot, he flew Bill Clinton when he ran for president in 1992.
Ricci was honored as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year and received the Harvard Business School’s Dively Entrepreneurship Award. He also was the youngest recipient of the prestigious William Ong Award for extraordinary achievement in the general aviation industry and named one the most influential people in aviation by Aviation International News. In 2015, he received the Aviation Week Laureate Award, a benchmark of industry excellence, recognizing his innovation in aircraft remanufacturing.
An Arizona resident, he serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Notre Dame, the Smithsonian Institution and University Hospitals, as well as on the C|M|LAW Board of Visitors.