Anthony Fleet (IMC17)

Hub communication manager of EWR at United Airlines

Anthony Fleet (IMC17) had never been west of Columbus, Ohio prior to enrolling at Northwestern Medill. He wanted to explore beyond his boundaries, believing that he still had much more he wanted to learn. Fleet chose the Medill Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) master’s program for the tools it would provide. Plus, “Medill’s reputation speaks for itself,” he said.

Fleet, who was selected by his classmates to deliver the IMC commencement address the year he graduated, discussed his 15-month experience, which included numerous activities, such as the student leadership committee and a semester in Paris.

Tell us about your career path. How did you get where you are today?

Right out of Medill, I worked for a consulting firm before moving in house. I started at UL in the Chicago suburbs before going to Beam Suntory to work primarily in internal communication. I’ve been with United Airlines since 2021 when I started in the company’s global HQ in Chicago doing internal/critical communication before taking on the role at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to manage all corporate communications and media relations. I got to where I am today in large part due to relationships with people, but also proactively advocating for myself in expressing what I’m interested in and what jobs I’d like to do.

What are your main responsibilities in your current role?

In one line, I’m United’s storyteller at EWR. I share great stories of our people, operation and overall happenings at United Airlines/EWR externally through local and national media and internally through our various communication channels.

I work directly with our station SVP with his external and internal communications, which includes media opportunities, frequent messages to the broader EWR team and talking points for various speaking opportunties.

What is one of your proudest career accomplishments?

Making the move to EWR. The job is different from anything I had done prior, and I imagined working at an airport would be a lot different than working in a corporate office. I was eager to do external communication in a more official capacity, so going to the world’s largest media market to do PR/media relations was a thrilling opportunity.

What is one of your proudest career accomplishments?

The impact Medill IMC had on me is two-fold: From an academic perspective, I was able to learn from a faculty consisting of great minds with years of experience at high levels in their professions. I was also able to learn with classmates who were knowledgeable and driven to push their boundaries beyond any limit set before them. From a social perspective, the exposure I had to people from all over the world has helped me grow as a person and as a global citizen. It helped me grow my confidence in communicating with many different people regardless of their backgrounds.

Additionally, I knew little to nothing about how an airline operates, so being at EWR gives me the most in-depth, on-the-job education one could ever want.

How did the Medill Integrated Marketing Communications program prepare you for your career?

There was plenty of hard skills and knowledge I obtained through IMC’s curriculum and faculty. What set my Medill experience apart was the accumulation of life learnings whether it was meeting and befriending a diverse group of people from around the country and the world, or having the ability to travel to and live in different parts of the world where I hadn’t been prior. Medill “opened my aperture” – as my favorite professor would frequently say – to a bigger world.

What did you do during Immersion Quarter?

I was in San Francisco working with a company called FuelX on their brand storytelling/employee engagement during the summer of 2017.

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black History Month is a time for all of us to understand the contributions, big and small – but nonetheless impactful, Black people have made (and still make) in every facet of society. Just as important, it’s understanding how systemic, overt racism and anti-Black bias have historically cultivated narratives and stereotypes that put Black people (generally) at a disadvantage when it comes to assessing their intelligence, skills or acumen. Hopefully people can have an open enough mind to view this through a general lens and not allow exceptions to serve as a norm.

How can your industry be more inclusive and representative of society?

My industry, whether it’s aviation or communication, must be more intentional in hiring Black people. That might mean sourcing for talent from “non-traditional” places or identifying highly skilled people who might not have the same set of experiences as people who traditionally occupy roles.

It also doesn’t stop at hiring. Once Black people are in the company, empower them to do their jobs and have a voice when it comes to making decisions and shaping policy that authentically reflect their culture and lived experience.

How have your identities influenced the way you navigate your professional career?

I’m very proud of my Black identity. I lean into it, especially as a communicator because my demographic is historically (and currently) underrepresented. I feel empowered to share my perspective on any number of topics that can affect the company I work for or the communication industry holistically. I don’t underestimate the influence of effective communication and how vast the audience is for things I potentially write/create for various channels/platforms.

Additionally, I’ve had the good fortune to work with Black employee groups in a leadership capacity, primarily as communication chair, which allows me to intersect my personal and professional passions to ultimately drive progress for Black employees in the workspace