Mentoring Program

IAWA‘s commitment to an investment in the next generation of women leaders is central to our mission to Connect, Inspire and Lead.  IAWA volunteers dedicate a tremendous amount of time over the course of each year to advancing IAWAs NextGen programs (scholarship, internship and mentoring) and working with outstanding young women who are poised to make a difference in the future of the industry.  As part of this commitment, IAWA has introduced two mentoring programs:  60-Minute Mentoring and Local Mentoring Circles.

• 60-minute mentoring is an opportunity developed for young women pursuing careers in aviation and aerospace.  This unique program will introduce each applicant to a senior leader in this global industry for a one-hour meeting.  Mentees and mentors will be matched based on several criteria.  Given the global reach of IAWA, 60-minute mentees and mentors may not be in the same city.  In these cases, Skype calls (or other video meeting options) are recommended. If the two are situated in the same city, an in-person meeting would be scheduled.  The meeting will provide the mentee with an extraordinary opportunity to learn about specific segments of the aviation and aerospace industry, discuss how to develop an effective professional network, get advice on building leadership and career skills, as well as address the mentee‘s individual questions.
• The second program, Local Mentoring Circles, connects women living or working in the same geographic area.  Unlike traditional one-on-one mentoring relationships, a Mentoring Circle brings together women at various stages in their careers and from all sectors of aviation and aerospace.  The first IAWA Mentoring Circles have been in developed in the New York City area.  IAWA is currently exploring options to expand this program to more cities.  If you are interested in building a mentoring circle program in your city, IAWA will provide you with background information and a template developed by the NYC Mentoring Circles leaders.  Mentoring Circles help to build strong personal and professional networks and create forums to discuss important issues facing the industry and issues facing women professionals. Mentoring Circles promote professional development through the exchange of ideas, experiences, and opportunities.  And, it is just a great opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues, as well as meet new friends and expand business connections.
  

IAWA is also forming a global Mentoring Committee to implement these programs, and identify new opportunities to reach out to the next generation of women leaders.  If you would like to be part of the Committee or have any questions about the programs, please contact IAWA Mentoring Committee Chair, Lisa Piccione (info@iawa.org).

Resources

4 Ways Women Can Rise Above the Status Quo in Aviation Webinar
Rene Banglesdorf, CEO of Charlie Bravo Aviation






2nd Annual Powerful Women in Aviation Luncheon at Vaughn

On March 30th, IAWA Board members participated in the 2nd Annual Powerful Women in Aviation panel discussion and luncheon at Vaughn College. In attendance were members of the Vaughn faculty and women students in a variety of aviation technical programs as well as high school students attending area technical high schools which have aviation-specific training. Vaughn College, the recipient of one of IAWA‘s annual scholarships, had requested that IAWA participate in this program to enable its students to meet with the Board members and to start to build connections within the aviation field. IAWA, in turn, viewed this program as an opportunity to further its NextGen efforts by reaching out to the future women leaders in aviation and aerospace and by offering advice, assistance, and encouragement. Among the other panelists were two African American pilots who talked about the difficulties that they encountered becoming pilots and the extremely low number of African American pilots worldwide. The enthusiasm of the students and faculty was readily apparent and we hope to work on other programs to assist the needs of the Vaughn students.