Danielle Parton is a down-to-earth, hard-working American with a unique family history. Not everyone can say their family is made up of bootleggers, respected lawmen known for shutting down illegal moonshine operations, handpicked by FDR to work his inauguration, and an Aunt who's a living legend.
She's the first female in the Parton family to earn a college degree, graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.
After college, she began her airline career as a flight attendant for American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. She then joined the Air National Guard (118th Wing, Nashville; 123th Airlift Wing, Louisville, Kentucky; 164th Airlift Wing, Memphis), serving as a pilot. Currently, Danielle is the Chief of Public Affairs at the 118th Wing.
Danielle has operated the C-130 and C-5 aircraft around the world and in combat. She became an Aircraft Commander in 2012, has deployed multiple times in harm's way and spent thousands of hours in the pilot seat. Needless to say, she can handle anything thrown her way!
In 2014, Danielle's aviation career came full circle when she became a pilot for one of the world’s largest carriers, where she flies the Airbus A320 family of aircraft.
Awards are not something Danielle brags about in her military career, but it shows her sacrifice and professionalism in the cockpit and life. She is the recipient of the Combat Action Medal, the Air Medal and made the Commodore's List of Flying Excellence for Under Graduate Pilot Training. Additionally, she is a Distinguished Graduate of C-5 Initial Qualification.
So what does a world traveler, pilot, and combat Veteran do after all that?
“Make my own line of unaged whiskey, of course! I’ve taken recipes and lessons learned from previous generations and made an exceptional product to share with everyone!”