Born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Lucy Morillo was 19 years old and a single mother when she arrived in the United States. Today she is one of the most influential Latina businesswomen in the country, chairs the International Women's Forum (IWF) and is in charge of a project that has no precedent in the history of aviation: creating an air taxi company to avoid traffic congestion and fly through the skies of Miami. The president and CEO of UrbanX is the face of a project that aims to develop Urban Air Mobility in South Florida and overcome traffic jams and apply the variant of air flights to intercity routes for the first time in history. They hope to start flying at the end of 2026.

Morillo is a lawyer with experience in non-profit associations, and is in charge of marketing, community participation, relations with the different levels of government and the development of income sources. In an exclusive dialogue with LPO, she explains the UrbanX project, tells her story of improvement and talks about the place of Latin women in the business world of the United States.

How and when did the idea to launch Urban XAir come about?

The company is a subsidiary of the airline Global X. The idea came from the company's chairman and CEO, Ed Wegel, he was the president of Eastern Air Lines in the past, he has three or four airlines and is a true visionary. My company, which is a communications company, was the one that was helping them with communications, and he found out about my passion for airplanes. When I was studying at university, I was in the Air Force and, as a lawyer, one of the things that is going to be essential at a global level is creating the infrastructure and ecosystem necessary for this new technology to operate. He selected me, I think intelligently, I have been in this community for almost 25 years, understanding who is who at the political level, at the philanthropic level, at the level of knowing how things move to be able to count on that support and be more effective in the deployment of Urban Air Mobility here.

And I think the reception has been so positive because we do have an action plan. Global X is an operator with many years of experience, and it inspires confidence that this will be done well.

Enrique Tubio

There are already companies in operation.

Global is a fully operational company specializing in cargo and trade. It's relatively new, it's two years old, and it's one of the fastest growing companies in the United States right now. Its staff has many years of experience operating airlines.

"El sueño americano existe pero tenés que ayudarlo, este país no es un parque temático donde todo fluye"

Miami is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States and you say South Florida is at the forefront of change. Why?

Urban area mobility is something we have been talking about for at least a decade. We know what is going to be done, the question is when is it going to be done. In the last five years, Miami has experienced exponential growth. We are the third fastest growing city in the United States, you can see it in real estate, you can see it in the number of people who have moved here, Jeff Bezos, Ken Griffin with Citadel. We are in a growth process. Living here for 25 years, I have never seen anything like it. Technologically we are also moving and there is a great need to look for alternatives for movement and mobility. It is not only convenient for us: it is a necessity. We will not only be operating with electric vehicles in the air but also in the water. That's super cool, because they don't have to be authorized by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), they are maritime and they might get here sooner.

Before 2026.

Exactly. So the intention is that we begin to contribute to the mobility ecosystem in South Florida in different ways and capitalize to position ourselves as the pioneers.

In Miami we are in a growth process. Living here for 25 years, I have never seen anything like it. Technologically we are also moving and there is a great need to look for alternatives for movement, for mobility. It is not only convenient for us: it is a necessity.

Who is UrbanX for? What kind of businessman or entrepreneur is it for?

Our intention is to captivate and serve all audiences. It has been said that this type of technology can only benefit those who can afford it, but if you look at the history of aviation, which is relatively new, a hundred years ago, at the beginning flying was a little more expensive than it is today. So, our goal is to give access to this as quickly as possible so that it becomes an opportunity that can be offered to everyone. I imagine that after a few years it would be like Uber, that everyone can access it.

There is no similar experience anywhere nowadays.

No, not the way we designed it. Helicopters are used in New York and other cities like ours. But this is completely different and will give another kind of access.

Enrique Tubio

What role do the different levels of government have in Miami and Florida? Is there any interest from Mayor Francis Suárez and Governor DeSantis, from the commissioners?

Everyone is important and everyone collaborates at all levels, local, state and federal. I am a member of the Florida Department of Transportation and we are trying to collaborate with all the airports in the state of Florida. At the local level it is even more important to me because we as a company are based here and we are obviously going to contribute to the economy of Miami. We are going to provide jobs and create opportunities. We need everyone's support. I had a meeting with the mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava. I am the president of the IWF and she is also an expert in that, so we have very fluid communication and she is very interested in everything that has to do with improving the movement in Miami city. Obviously, Francis Suárez is always very involved in everything that involves innovation.

What is missing to start working?

The most important thing right now is that we are all waiting for the certification of the aircraft. The FAA has to certify all ships, whether they are from Embraer or other manufacturers, and this process is out of our control at UrbanX. That is out of our control, what we do have at UrbanX is a solid plan. Once it can be certified, it is projected to be 100% operational by 2026. We signed an agreement to receive 100 aircraft soon and 200 by 2026 and start flying at the beginning of 2027.

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You worked at the University of Miami and at the Miami Children's Hospital Foundation, more closely linked to social issues and philanthropy. What does your previous experience give you for this new venture?

I love the question. For me it is very important, beyond the passion I have for aviation, the contribution I can make. Wherever I go, I always like to leave things better than what I found. I have been fortunate to come to Miami and contribute at different levels to what Miami is today. Working with Donna E. Shalala at the University of Miami, I led the first billion-dollar campaign as executive director of gift planning, then president of the Children's Hospital, which was renamed Nicklaus Children's thanks to a contribution that I was able to secure - of 60 million dollars -, from the Nicklaus family, but without really thinking about the money but about the contributions that you make to the community where you live, to improve the educational system, health. Having the opportunity to use that experience, if you think about it, aviation has been an industry that has served a lot to travel from one city to another, from one state to another, from one country to another, but never in interurban form. Having the opportunity to bring aviation to the urban level to change the way we get around gives me the same excitement I've had with other things.

It has been said that this technology only benefits those who can afford it, but if you look at the history of aviation, which is relatively new, a hundred years, in the beginning flying was more expensive than it is today. Our goal is to give access as quickly as possible so that it becomes something similar to Uber.

You talk about a social enterprise business model. How is it different from traditional models?

There are companies that make it a priority to improve the communities in which they benefit and do business. They are for-profit but exceed corporate social responsibility, it is not just an office. It is integrated into the signature of what the company is. I am creating an advisory board for UrbanX, which will not only have representatives of what matters to me to run the business, but will also ensure that shareholders participate and understand the needs of the company. The intention is that the integration of these diverse perspectives will ensure that UrbanX is not only successful in its operations, but also contributes positively to the community environment in which it is located.

Enrique Tubio

Hispanic female CEOs are relatively rare in aviation and urban mobility. What does a woman need to thrive in the business world?

Little by little I have grown. I have been very lucky over the years. I think this is my year, because I am the president of UrbanX and the president of the International Women's Forum, which has 7000 members, heads of state, entrepreneurs who are making a difference in the world. In the aviation field, there is less representation of women. I don't know why but it's changing. Until last week, i was one of the few female aviation CEOs, but I think JetBlue just named its first female CEO as well. I think we are also being pioneers in that. But I have not met many Hispanic women in this field and it is an opportunity for me to inspire, motivate and help as a mentor for other women because there is talent. It's a matter of understanding that you can do something and generate the opportunities yourself.

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You came to Miami 25 years ago from Puerto Rico, being a single mother. You were different and surely the country too.

You make me think. I arrived as a single mother, I had to raise my son, my mother was a terminally-ill person, but I didn't let any of that be an obstacle and I used those lessons that that level of complications brings. We must overcome the cultural challenges that we as women have. It is a matter of creating an infrastructure in which you do not feel guilty if you have to find a tutor for your child, someone to take you from point to point, if you have to find a support system so that you can do things. Men do it all the time, but culturally we are not taught to think that way. Looking back now, so many years later, the reason my career has continued to grow is because I have given myself the opportunity. Now I ask my son, who is in the second year of Law School, my total pride, "Have you felt that I have not been present?" And he says: "You have been present when necessary and you have been a tremendous example of how it is done." We often think that if we are not there when it comes to serving food, then we are doing something wrong.

I arrived as a single mother, I had to raise my son, my mother was a terminally-ill person, but I didn't let anything be an obstacle. It's a matter of creating an infrastructure where you don't feel guilty if you have a support system. Men do it all the time, but we are not taught to think that way.

How has the place of Latinos changed in these 25 years?

There are still obstacles, but little by little we are changing the mentality. The more Latinos like us we see surpassing and changing the way we think, the more progress I think we have in the professional space. The opportunities are present, the obstacles remain the same. The more capable you demonstrate that you are, the more confidence they give you to assume responsibilities. But you must take on the task of proving how capable you are. That's even more important when you're a woman.

In the past it was thought that a Hispanic could only be at the base of the social pyramid. Today you can be Hispanic and be at the top of the social pyramid.

You can be a Latina and be at those levels, beyond traditional roles such as fashion and the industries in which women have had more opportunities. Now we are showing that, as women, without having to change who we are, we can contribute and it is received positively.

Translate: Bibiana Ruiz.