Brad Cozza was born and raised in Indiana. With family members who had graduated from Purdue, and his own growing interest in airport operations, he felt a connection with Purdue during his campus visits.
Today, as director of Indiana’s fourth-busiest airport in terms of daily business flights, Cozza’s responsibilities are diverse.
“From weekly inspections of airfield infrastructure, monthly invoicing and annual budgeting, to attendance of civic meetings, the airport director does a little bit of anything and everything,” says Cozza. “My success can be attributed 60 percent to Purdue’s classroom education and 40 percent to real-world internships,” he says. “That balance of education and application has afforded me the personal and professional opportunities I have enjoyed throughout the past five and a half years.”
Cozza says he is “humbled by today’s honor,” and would like to convey his appreciation to senior academic advisor Rose Delong-Bolyard. He believes he would not have lasted beyond his first week at Purdue had it not been for her “compassionate guidance.”
“Feeling overwhelmed by the end of the first week of classes, Rose patiently listened to my reservations about continuing my studies and suggested dropping one class to ease the perceived load. Thanks to Rose’s experience, the rest is history.”
Cozza was awarded the 2016 Rotarian of the Year Award from the Rotary Club of Rensselaer. From 2015-2016, he sat on the Board of School Trustees for the Rensselaer Schools Corporation. Currently, he is a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives, a board member for Aviation Indiana and a board member for the Westfield Education Foundation.
Cozza lives in Westfield, Indiana. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, attending local government meetings, and serving the aviation and local communities.