In this episode I’m speaking with Lisa Anderson. Lisa is the director of the United Nations Commercial Air Travel Safety Unit, which falls under the UN department of safety and security. Essentially Lisa and her team evaluate commercial air operators throughout the world and determine their suitability to safely and reliably transport UN personnel. It’s important to note that when Lisa was hired to take the position, the CATSU didn’t exist. She was given guidance on what the UN wanted to implement, but she built the program from the ground up! Pretty impressive. Lisa’s story is a fascinating one. From her childhood in rural Kentucky, where expectations were set to a low-bar. To her travelling the world, as a private corporate pilot. Lisa took advantage of the opportunities presented to her and worked hard to forge a successful career that seemed unlikely to her as a child. We talked a lot about her past, and how her career path led her to where she is now. Given the fact that she worked for the TSA as that organization was still taking shape, we touched on travel security in general and what we’re willing to accept in terms of security measures, and how those differ throughout the world. Lisa was a military spouse as well, and she really opened up about that experience and the challenges that military couples face in maintaining relationships in the face of so much flux, uncertainty and emotional burden.