Meet Cheri Cimmarrusti

We were lucky to catch up with Cheri Cimmarrusti recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cheri, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

My core purpose had always been my family, but in 1997 when my son and daughter were done with school and all the things I had been doing with them; PTA, sports and everything else associated with raising children was gone, I was a little bit adrift. I was a “stay-at-home” mom, and I helped my husband with our small construction business. I hadn’t gone to college and for the most part I had never had a meaningful job, other than our family and our own business. One day, I was reading a local newspaper and saw an ad for a 12-15 hour per week job for a non-profit organization called Angel Flight West. It was based at the Santa Monica Airport and living on the westside, this would be close to my home and very convenient.

I decided to apply for the job, but since I hadn’t really worked outside our home business (other than as a teenager at odd jobs) I didn’t have a resume. So I wrote a letter as to why I wanted the job. I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t get the offer – with no real resume, I knew it would be difficult. I was sure that not having a college education could get in the way of me finding a job. But about two weeks later, I received a call with an offer for a re-interview and the trajectory of my life changed in an instant. I started working at Angel Flight West for fifteen hours a week and I fell in love with their mission. Angel Flight West (AFW) is a non-profit organization, based at the Santa Monica Airport. Our mission is to provide health and hope to those needing transportation by volunteer pilots, to medical treatment when travel is a barrier. I started out working fifteen hours a week and fell in love with general aviation and the generosity of pilots who wanted to provide access, at no cost, to medical care for so many people.

Angel Flight West’s mission, which combined general aviation – something I knew nothing about – with healthcare, something I was passionate about – was intriguing. Working at the Santa Monica Airport and meeting our pilots, gave me a new perspective on the small planes I could see flying overhead. I know this is a touchy subject to those in the Santa Monica area, but I see the amazing work these pilots do and was able to learn how general aviation and generous pilots can change lives for the better, in fact, in some cases it could save lives. Their passion to give, became my passion to support and facilitate.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

The little job I took to fill the time after my kids graduated high school, quickly became a full-time job and evolved into a 27-year career. The person who I worked directly for, experienced significant family loss in a short period of time and was gone for almost 9 months while she dealt with some really difficult family health issues. I immediately began working full-time and my passion for the organization grew. The pilots who are a part of Angel Flight West, volunteer their time and the cost of flying their airplanes to transport patients to medical treatment. Their generosity and heart for our mission was infectious. I watched these volunteers donate hundreds to thousands of dollars for every flight they took – and then thank me for the opportunity to participate. My supervisor came back for a short time and then left to pursue other ventures. While I didn’t know it then – the opportunity of a lifetime has been put in front of me.

When I started working there, AFW was flying around 900 missions per year and in 2025 we should fly over 5,000. Each one of these missions is a story. As I spoke to these pilots and to the passengers they served, the organization became a part of my heart and soul. There was Lamar, who flew from Inyo-Kern, CA to Santa Monica for the treatment he so needed at UCLA. He had a recurrence of Hodgkins Lymphoma and literally had no way to get to that treatment. For two years, Lamar flew on 104 flights with 43 different pilots, receiving the best treatment possible. While Lamar eventually lost his battle with cancer – today a beautiful poster he drew is in our office with the words, “thank you for your help in the fight to save my life”. Mariah was just a toddler when she flew with us the first time, going from Montana to Seattle Children’s for treatment for her neuroblastoma. Today, Mariah has graduated from college and will be able to lead a normal life, in part to the dedication the pilots put into getting her to treatment. I could list hundreds of examples of why this job became my passion and not just my profession. Being allowed to help facilitate these flights was a great honor.

Over the years, as the organization grew, so did I. Going from that fifteen hour per week assistant to Associate Executive Director was not without it’s challenges. During that time, I experienced the loss of a nearly thirty year marriage and battled addiction. The organization went through a change of leadership – the retirement of a long-time Executive Director to a new one – and it was a very challenging year. I was able to focus on helping others to help me get through these challenges.

During the break-up of my marriage, AFW kept me going with it’s mission and more importantly, the incredible support of my co-workers. I was fortunate enough to have not only that support, but that of my kids, my sister and others. I won’t say it was easy, but today my ex and I have a good relationship and we are still a family unit. Alcohol and opiods had been a part of life since my teens and they nearly took my life. I am proud that I have been sober for nine and a half years and that has not only saved my life, but my career as well. During the year of transition – with a new leader, who I will just say didn’t understand our mission or culture, I was one of just two employees, out of a staff of 8, who remained. I was able to stick it out because of the support of family, our volunteer pilots and board members who supported me. The other remaining colleague and I eventually worked together for twenty years.

I was able to be a part of Angel Flight West’s 100,000th mission since its inception in 1983. I’ve been able to mentor so many young colleagues, as they begin to make their journey into the professional world. It’s extremely rewarding to be able to pass on how you can not only just come to work, but love to come to work. Sure, it’s a job – and like everyone – some days you would just prefer to stay in bed. But when you do come to work and in doing so, you are able to make a significant impact on people’s lives – it becomes much easier.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

When I look back on my journey from a wife, mother, and “jill-of-all-trades”, I am convinced that the skills I learned through many years of figuring out how life works (still haven’t perfected that!) helped me as I grew with the organization. This took me from a 15-hour per week assistant to an executive in this mid-size non-profit. I relied on my strong empathetic nature to guide me when dealing with the people I met who needed our services. I think that empathy and my love of connecting to people is what led to Angel Flight West becoming so important. There were times when my “emotional self” became a stumbling block – letting that emotional person be afraid about taking the next step – but I did power through and I’m so proud of that.

I was so tentative when I started working at AFW, I was frightened of flying in a small plane, I didn’t really have confidence in my leadership skills, nor did I ever imagine that the job would become a career. What I learned is that if you believe in yourself, listen to others who believe in you and follow your heart – you can succeed. I also learned that it is important to listen to those who are guiding you. While not all of them will have the advice you need, listen to them all and take the parts that will help you grow.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I have been extremely fortunate when it comes to mentors in this organization. When I started working at Angel Flight West, I think our Executive Director saw something in me I probably didn’t see in myself. He encouraged me to grow, to take charge and more importantly; to be myself. I’m emotional and am easily moved by people’s difficult stories. One time, after sharing a story and getting choked up, I sat down and told him that I would learn to do the stories without crying. I can still remember, 27 years later, him turning to me and saying., “I hope not”. It gave me the permission to learn and grow, but still just be me.

When he retired, we had a difficult year of transition, but when that didn’t work out and our next Executive Director came in. he really challenged me to take the steps to become an executive and not stay as a manager. He believed in my ability to lead and helped me in so many ways. I was also blessed to work for twenty years with someone who was at first my mentee, and in later years became my mentor while I was still a mentor to him. It was an unusual relationship, but it worked and I like to think we both were better for it.

During the break-up of my marriage, I was supported by a volunteer pilot and his wife, who offered me a place to stay during some really difficult times. Having this little hide-away behind their home was critical to my ability to process what was happening. Some of our AFW board members were my supporters, my mentors and just friends during times when I needed the help. All of this is to say that, an organization like Angel Flight West is filled with those who just want to help others and tjey helped me. They allowed me to continue working during those difficult periods in my life and that made me a better person. Today, I look back and think of the person that walked through the doors in that small office, and I am filled with gratitude at how lucky I have been. There were some really challenging life experiences to handle; empty-nest, divorce, addiction and more – but I believe I’m stronger and better for all of it.

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