Duncan Aviation Promotes Leon Holloway to Director of Human Resources for the Enterprise

March 24, 2021

Duncan Aviation announced that Leon Holloway has accepted the position of director of human resources for the enterprise. In this senior management position, Holloway will manage all core functions of human resources, professional development, talent acquisition, and wellness.

“As a Senior Management leader, Leon contributes directly to the organization’s long- and short-term strategic objectives while maximizing organizational effectiveness,” said Duncan Aviation president Jeff Lake.

His responsibilities also include compensation and payroll, employee relations, diversity and inclusion, development and training, HRIS (Human Resource Information System), health and wellness, employee engagement, Department of Labor compliance, and talent acquisition.

“When I think of the next five years here at Duncan Aviation, among my goals are to attract and retain top talent to all Duncan Aviation locations. As an organization we are committed to having an inclusive workplace where all team members feel a sense of belonging regardless of their differences, beliefs, and experiences. Here at Duncan Aviation, we want to create an environment where the best people in aviation come, grow, and stay,” said Holloway.

Holloway has led human resource teams for the last 18 years, and he’ll celebrate 10 years at Duncan Aviation in July. Prior to Duncan Aviation, he was the director of human resources for a company that manufactured St. Croix pellet stoves and furnaces. In addition to his leadership role at Duncan Aviation, Holloway also serves on several advisory boards, including the Greater Lincoln Workforce Development Board, the NBAA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Working Group, and The Malone Center and Concordia University Business Advisory Boards.

“In the nearly 10 years I’ve been at Duncan Aviation, I still feel like a kid in a candy store when I walk through the hangars,” says Holloway. “The skills and passion I see in our team members is a reminder of the type of culture we have here at Duncan Aviation. Although I don’t turn a wrench, I’m proud to be a part of something that is bigger than me. I’d be remiss to not mention the late Mike Cox, a great leader and mentor to me and many others, whom we lost early last year. My career here at Duncan Aviation is in large part due to the leadership and friendship of Mike. His care of people and his unwavering faith reminds me daily of why I love what I do in HR and the impact we have on the people we serve.”

Holloway grew up in Chicago, Illinois, graduated from Riverside High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was recruited to play basketball at York College in York, Nebraska. During his two years as a starting point guard, Holloway earned his Associates degree. He finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, and earned his MBA in Human Resource Management from Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, Alabama.

In his relatively rare spare time, Holloway and his wife Jan enjoy spending time with their family. They have six grandchildren: Jackson (15), Harper (11), Jaydyn (8), Gracelyn (6), Finnley (21 months) and new to the family Wesley (2 months). Like most families, the coronavirus put a damper on the in-person family time early on, but Holloway and his family took full advantage of Zoom and Facetime to stay connected. In the last couple of months, they’ve been able to carefully get together in person.