Hello my name is Daniel Garrido,
I am a former IT professional with 15 years experience building and leading technical teams. My late grandfather sparked the aviation bug from a young age. Him being an aviator for a major carrier in South America and the USA my gifts were always some sort of plane. As I grew older my dream was to work in Alaska providing air services to professional skiers and snowboarders. My journey took a different path that eventually caused a career change to aviation. I recently finished my training and looking for the next opportunity to grow as a pilot and a teacher. Although my flight time is low my life experience to high giving my me an advantage managing complex systems in the flight deck, clear and effect communication for CRM and SRM, the ability to troubleshoot and execute proper ADM are all attributed to my time as an IT professional.

I look forward to creating relationship and learn from those who have walk the path before me. 

Education

Crown College
Masters of Arts August 15, 2016 - May 30, 2019 Organizational leadership with an emphasis in intercultural development
University of Colorado
Bachelors of Arts August 15, 2011 - May 30, 2013 Organizational Leadership

Work Experience

Director of Managed IT
Rooted Software June 1, 2021 - November 22, 2024 ▪ Lead a 6-person IT team in establishing an advanced managed services group, developing policies, procedures, and training that drove >190% growth in 18 months; analyzed contracts and P&Ls to standardize processes, automate operations, and double profitability from Q2 2022 to Q1 2023 — directly transferable to developing structured flight training curricula, ensuring regulatory compliance, and building safe, efficient pilot development programs. ▪ Identified revenue opportunities through client audits and high-margin IT project proposals, achieving a 33% close rate and $20K in revenues with 10-fold ROI; introduced an IT Dispatcher role to boost productivity by 30%, enhancing SLA adherence and elevating customer satisfaction from 3.5/5 to 5/5 — demonstrating strong ability to assess needs, design effective training solutions, optimize operations, and deliver exceptional results
Service Desk Technician III
Cross Link Group June 1, 2021 - November 13, 2020 ▪ supported and mentored other technicians in analysis, resolution, and documentation of trouble tickets, improving team productivity and project management capacity — demonstrating direct mentoring, troubleshooting, and knowledge-transfer skills essential for flight instruction and student pilot development ▪ Delivered managed services for 60 clients, including system implementation, firewall and network security patching, technical desktop support, antivirus, remote monitoring of uptime, disk space, memory utilization, firewall management, network management, and active directory management — skills directly transferable to ensuring safety, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence as a flight instructor
Director of Live Events
The Christian and Missionary Alliance November 13, 2020 - November 17, 2016 ▪ Optimized attendee engagement through marketing automation, event-driven analytics, data collection and analysis — directly transferable to monitoring student progress, refining flight training programs, and improving pilot skill development and retention. ▪ Trained and supported communication, video, and social media teams in virtual event deliver. Used RACI matrix to optimize resources allocation, workflows, and schedules — directly transferable to building strong capabilities in team training, clear role definition, and efficient operational planning directly applicable to flight training coordination and student instruction.

Highlights

CFII Check Ride
June 18, 2026 I passed my CFII check ride on this date and what makes this a highlight for me was that I filed and flew in IMC the entire time and passed first attempt. Very proud of this achievement.

Aircraft Experience

PA-28
  • Time in Type: 192 hrs
  • Last Training: June 18, 2026
  • Training Type: CFII Check Ride
  • Facility: Thrust Flight
C-172
  • Time in Type: 136 hrs
  • Last Training: February 26, 2026
  • Training Type: Check out Flight
  • Facility: General Aviation, Conroe TX
PA-44
  • Time in Type: 13 hrs
  • Last Training: July 8, 2026
  • Training Type: Multi Add-on Check Ride
  • Facility: Thrust, Denison TX