2019 HHMA Recipient

Captain “Sully” Sullenberger has devoted his entire adult life to the pursuit of safety. While he is best known as the captain of US Airways Flight 1549—an event widely known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”—Sullenberger is also a respected safety expert, author, and speaker, and he continues to fly privately.

Born and raised in Denison, Texas, Sullenberger developed a passion for aviation at an early age. He learned to fly at 16 while still in high school and continued his aviation training at the United States Air Force Academy. Upon graduating in 1973, he received the Outstanding Cadet in Airmanship Award. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, two master’s degrees—one in industrial psychology from Purdue University and one in public administration from the University of Northern Colorado—and an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Purdue University.

Sullenberger served as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, where he advanced to flight leader and training officer and attained the rank of captain. His active-duty service included assignments in North America and Europe. In February 1980, he transitioned to commercial aviation, joining Pacific Southwest Airlines, which was later acquired by US Airways. He flew as an airline pilot until his retirement from commercial aviation in March 2010.

Long before gaining worldwide recognition, Sullenberger was a dedicated and influential safety advocate throughout his four-decade aviation career. He was selected to perform accident investigation duties for the U.S. Air Force and served as an Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) representative during a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. He also served as a Local Air Safety Chairman for ALPA and was a member of a national technical committee, contributing to the development of a Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular. In addition, Sullenberger played a key role in developing and implementing the Crew Resource Management program used by US Airways and personally taught the course to hundreds of airline crewmembers.

After accumulating more than 20,000 flight hours, Sullenberger became internationally renowned on January 15, 2009, when he and his crew safely executed an emergency water landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in New York City’s Hudson River following a catastrophic bird strike that disabled both engines of the Airbus A320. Their actions were celebrated worldwide, including a Congressional resolution honoring their bravery. Sullenberger was ranked second on TIME magazine’s “Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009” and was awarded the French Legion of Honour.

Sullenberger is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters and also authored Making a Difference: Stories of Vision and Courage from America’s Leaders. His life and career were depicted in the major motion picture SULLY, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks, with Aaron Eckhart and Laura Linney co-starring. Released in September 2016, the film received critical acclaim, four Broadcast Film Critics nominations, and one Academy Award nomination. That same year, Highest Duty was republished as SULLY: My Search for What Really Matters.

An internationally recognized lecturer and keynote speaker, Sullenberger addresses audiences at educational institutions, corporations, and nonprofit organizations on aviation and patient safety, leadership, crisis management, systems improvement, lifelong preparation, and integrity. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos and the Swiss Economic Forum. In collaboration with DuPont Sustainable Solutions, he helped develop and appeared in the award-winning training program Miracle on the Hudson: Prepare for Safety, designed to strengthen organizational safety culture. From 2009 to 2013, he served as co-chairman of EAA Young Eagles, a program dedicated to inspiring youth through aviation. Most recently, Sullenberger has focused on what he considers his latest mission: defending democracy.