Employed by American Airlines since 1976, Nancy founded Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) to provide for orphans and vulnerable children.   AAI is the only non-profit in the world leveraging connections with the airline industry to facilitate humanitarian efforts, and is recognized by the US Congress and the United Nations.

She founded Airline Ambassadors in 1996 to provide a way for individuals to match their unique interests and skills to actual world need. It began with airline personnel and now has expanded to include medical and business professionals, students and retirees. AAI provides humanitarian assistance to local communities and at the same time creates a context for compassion, giving ordinary individuals the opportunity to be of extra-ordinary service to one another.

Airline Ambassadors has hand-delivered over $60 million of aid to children in 54 countries in orphanages, clinics and remote communities. Members have started schools, clinics, housing projects and vocational training programs, impacting over 500,000 children. Airline Ambassadors has been featured in 114 TV features, 312 print and 63 radio features since their inception.

​

Nancy was honored with the 1999 Woman of Peace Award, the 2000 Ambassador of Peace Award , in 2001 as a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and the Islamic Cultural Center in 2002 , in 2003 she received the National Caring Award, and 2004 the President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2005. She received honors from the Governor of Mississippi in 2006,  the  Foreign Ministry of El Salvador in 2007\ and Boys Town in 2010. She received the President’s Volunteer Service Award and Global Woman of the Year at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2013.

Nancy has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Southern Methodist University and is married to contractor and environmentalist, Dave Rivard. She recently retired as an international flight attendant based in Miami to run Airline Ambassadors full time.