Denise Wilson, CAM

Denise Wilson is a respected aviator, entrepreneur and thought leader with 25 years of aviation experience. She’s also an author, gold-level Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) and a trusted aviation advisor.  

As the President and Founder of The Jet Agent, a Scottsdale-based aircraft acquisitions and sales brokerage firm, Denise has transformed her expertise into a thriving business. Since its launch, The Jet Agent has built a reputation as a leading consultancy for clients desiring a robust approach buying and selling jets. In fewer than two years, The Jet Agent is listed among JETNET’s Top 50 U.S.-based brokerage firms out of 800+ firms.  

Denise’s background is as deep as it is extensive. In 2007, she started her first company, Desert Jet, focusing on aircraft acquisitions, sales and management. The company expanded into an aircraft charter/management firm, added a maintenance repair station and then a new, ground-up build of the award-winning FBO Desert Jet Center. Desert Jet grew to 50 employees and annual revenue of $20 million—with no debt or investors. During Denise’s time leading Desert Jet as its founder and CEO, the company was listed on the Inc. 500’s list of the nation’s fastest growing, privately owned companies for five consecutive years. Denise exited the company in 2020 to focus solely on helping her clients with the acquisition and sales portion of their aviation journeys.  

Following the sale of Desert Jet, she served as a Sales Director & Acquisition Consultant at one of the largest jet brokerage firms in the U.S. During that time, she earned the Top Sales Performer and Grandmaster awards for sales excellence, directly leading sales efforts in the Citation M2, CJ3 and CJ3+ markets, enabling the firm to become a top seller worldwide in these markets.  

Denise began her professional piloting career 25 years ago. Over the course of her flying career, she has served as a captain in airline, charter and corporate operations, and held the roles of Chief Pilot, Director of Operations, Check Airman on numerous fleet types, and Director of Safety. She has piloted a wide variety of jets over a span of 9,000-plus hours and eight type ratings, with half of her experience flying Citations, mostly in single pilot operations.  

In 2023, Denise leveraged her expertise as an award-winning broker to write the No. 1 bestseller, The Insider’s Guide to Buying and Selling Jets. In it, Denise shares insider strategies for successful aircraft transactions, drawing from her 20-year career helping clients maximize the value of aviation.  

As an expert industry advisor, Denise provides concierge-level acquisition representation, aircraft sales and coaching to clients. Denise’s expertise in jet aircraft acquisition shines for her growing roster of clients, offering them information and transparency to enable them to become highly informed jet owners.  

Denise is a frequent columnist and sought-after speaker at various industry conferences. She is a member of the National Business Aviation Association, Citation Jet Pilots Association, National Aircraft Finance Association, Arizona Business Aviation Association and Women in Aviation. She’s served on the Angel Flight West board and the Alpine Airpark board, among other aviation leadership pursuits. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, she has been featured in publications and on networks such as Barron’s, Forbes, CNBC, FOX Business, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Business Jet Traveler, CNBC, Palm Springs Life, MSNBC, the Wall Street Journal and Aviation for Women Magazine.  

Prior to her move into the aviation industry, Denise was a professional oboist. In fact, she still holds the oboe as a passionate endeavor, performing with numerous local music organizations. In 2023, she founded the Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra and serves as its Board President. Previously, she was a director on the board for the MusicaNova Orchestra.  

Other Notable Awards and Achievements: 

• Earned the Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) certification from the National Business Aviation Association.  

• Named one of “Ten Top Women CEOs” on the Inc. 500 List by Inc. Magazine. 

• Recipient of the Dorothy B. Brothers Leadership Award from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. 

• Winner, Ernst and Young (EY) Entrepreneurial Winning Women Program. 

• Led Desert Jet to be ranked on the Women Presidents Organization’s list of the 50 Fastest Growing Women Owned/Led Companies Worldwide. 

• One of six participants globally in EY’s Ready, Set, Grow Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program.  

• Led Desert Jet to be named one of the Best Entrepreneurial Companies in the U.S. by Entrepreneur Magazine. 

• Earned a B.S. in Professional Aeronautics from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.