Mike Wells

President

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Mike moved to Seminole, Florida in the spring of 1970 where his family resided for 20 years. In 1977 he graduated from Seminole High and enrolled in St. Petersburg Junior College, earning two degrees in Aviation in 1981 and then a 4 year business-marketing degree in 1982 from the University of South Florida. While attending USF, he was President of the school’s flying club and had become an instructor pilot for aviation at Albert Whitted airfield in St. Petersburg. In 1983, he joined the Alabama Air National Guard in Birmingham and was later assigned to Air Force pilot training in Columbus, Mississippi. A year later he received his Air Force wings and then was off to Boise, Idaho to transition to flying the F-4 Phantom before returning to Birmingham in 1985 to his assigned unit. In March of 1986, he became a pilot for FedEx where he continues to work today, settling for several years in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1994, he resigned from the Air National Guard and his family of four moved to Palm Harbor, Florida. Mike is proud father to Ashley Giasone, the foundation’s Executive Director followed by Ryan, who the foundation is named after. In the summer of 2005 when tragedy struck with the loss of Ryan, Mike and several others set up The Ryan Wells Foundation to help other students that had the same deals and ideals that Ryan possessed. He has remained President of the Ryan Wells Foundation and hopes to continue to see it grow and mature. The dreams fulfilled in the mission of the foundation have been a true blessing for him and his family.