NBAA to Showcase Role of Women in Industry at WAI Conference

March 13, 2019

NBAA staff will take an active role at the 30th annual Women in Aviation International (WAI) Conference, with a goal of raising awareness about the many job opportunities available to women in business aviation.

Jo Damato, CAM, NBAA vice president of educational strategy and workforce development, said the association and business aviation community as a whole are ramping up their presence at this year’s conference, which takes place March 14-16 in Long Beach, CA, during Women’s History Month.

“NBAA’s message to future professionals at the conference is that business aviation offers them a rich and rewarding career path and the flexibility to chart their own course,” Damato said. “Recruiting more women to business aviation is an imperative for our industry, which faces a growing shortage of pilots and maintenance technicians due to an aging workforce.”

Damato, a longtime WAI member, will participate in a mentoring event that will match female leaders with students and young professionals, and will speak on a panel about the benefits and best practices of being a mentor or mentee. She will join NBAA’s Phil Derner and Debi Carpenter, executive director of the Southern California Business Aviation Association, for a session on business aviation basics and careers.

Heidi Williams, NBAA director for air traffic services and infrastructure, will give a presentation on how new technology is transforming the National Airspace System and business aviation operations.

NBAA is a Silver Sponsor of the conference and will host a business aviation networking reception with Women in Corporate Aviation and Desert Jet Center. Damato also is volunteering at the Girls in Aviation Day event, and the association will donate 250 small giveaways for the children attending.

At the conference, Women in Corporate Aviation will have a booth in the exhibit hall and host a panel on business and corporate aviation careers. Two female Gulfstream pilots will lead a session entitled, “Why Consider Business Aviation?”

Learn more about the Women in Aviation International Conference.