New Members

March 2024

Alison Faddis

Alison Faddis began her career in aviation as a pilot and was hired by a regional carrier in 2000. She flew full-time for five years before she began her first of several leadership roles, including the FAR Part 119 Director of Operations and Chief Pilot roles. In 2019, Alison left to be Vice President, Flight Operations for Insitu, a Boeing-owned subsidiary that engineers, sells and operates mid-sized unmanned aerial vehicles in defense applications. She came to Amazon Air in 2022 to oversee the Aviation Safety and Operations teams.

Anna Derrow

Anna Derrow is a current first year law student at Northwester Pritzker School of Law. She is also a Private Pilot working on gaining her Instrument rating. Anna has a strong interest in breaking into the Aviation Law field to combe her two passions.

Arshini Juneja

Accomplished and forward-thinking, Arshini Juneja is a professional with a proven track record of excellence in developing and executing aviation strategy and marketing campaigns. Recognized for delivering impactful results, she brings a proactive and collaborative approach honed through her Master of International Business education. Leveraging extensive experience in both the aviation and consulting industries, Arshini thrives in dynamic environments where strategic thinking and effective communication are paramount.

Barbara Lopez Santander

An Industrial Engineer from Chile, Barbara Lopez is deeply passionate about the aviation industry. Her journey includes four enriching years at LATAM Airlines, where she immersed herself in the air cargo business. Currently, she is broadening her horizons by pursuing an MBA at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, alongside a Global Operations certification. Her goal is to rejoin the aviation sector after completing her studies, armed with enhanced knowledge and skills, ready to make significant contributions.

Celine Rodhain

As a System Engineer with 14 years of experience, Celine Rodhain has been involved in various aerospace projects across different entities of Safran group. Starting out as a digital electronics design engineer in France, she honed her technical and analytical skills. Then, Celine advanced to a system engineer role, where she applied her expertise to complex and innovative systems. Recently, she moved to Seattle to expand her horizons and learn from an international perspective.

Emilce Patiño

Emilce Patiño is currently pursuing a degree in aviation administration and pilot formation in Panama. She has always been passionate about aviation; that's why she wants to dedicate her professional life to the aviation industry, acquiring new knowledge, meeting the incredible people who work in this field, and sharing the knowledge, as well as her love for aviation, with those around her.

Laura Collins

Laura Collins draws on her experience as a former U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division trial attorney in the Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section to advise clients on a wide range of antitrust and competition law matters, including merger and non-merger investigations and litigations brought by the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). She brings a global perspective to the antitrust aspects of transactions, having spent time in the London and Brussels offices of another law firm. Laura also counsels clients on a variety of other antitrust topics such as monopolization, joint ventures, pricing and distribution policies, and potentially interlocking directorates.

Lou-Ann Seet

Lou-Ann Seet is the President and Board Member of Women in Aviation Singapore (WAI SG), where she played a pivotal role as Founding Member #2. Her primary responsibilities include leading the entire organisation, overseeing the execution of WAI SG's mission and vision, as well as cultivating a dedicated team of leaders and volunteers.

In her professional capacity, Lou-Ann currently holds the position of Partner Sales & Growth at FlightAware (Collins Aerospace) for the Asia Pacific region since 2021 serving the Airlines, Airports, Aviation, and Travel industry.

Before joining FlightAware, Lou-Ann spent five years with Collins Aerospace in the APAC region, excelling in Customer Success within the Business Aviation industry.

Lou-Ann embarked on her journey in the aviation industry in 2014 when she joined Hongkong Jet, a leading Business Aviation management company in Hong Kong. This early experience allowed her to cultivate a genuine passion for the industry and built a strong foundation for her subsequent achievements.

Lou-Ann holds a bachelor's degree in economics & finance from the University of London. To further pursue her passion for aviation, she pursued a Private Pilot License with the Federal Aviation Administration in the USA, showcasing her dedication to continuous learning and growth in the industry.

Lou Ann is dedicated to advancing the aviation industry, empowering women, and driving growth.

Maral Velmyradova

Born and raised in Turkmenistan, Maral Velmyradova quickly realized the uphill battle she faced as a woman striving for equality, knowing she had to work and study ten times harder than her male counterparts. During her childhood, she juggled attendance at two schools simultaneously: an elementary school and a musical academy. As a child, Maral thought that every child had to spend so much time studying. A good thing too, otherwise she might have quit learning piano. Years passed and alongside her academic pursuits, Maral mastered the piano, participated in choirs, and delved into music theory and history at the musical academy, culminating in a flawless GPA upon graduation.

Maral had less time to help her mother with household chores, considering the two schools she was attending. But her mother used to encourage Maral and her sister to dedicate all their time to education, otherwise "they might end up like her". Maral's mother was very bitter about not getting higher education and not being able to work outside their home. Her days were busy with looking after three children, household cattle, sheep, and goats. Maral and her sister did their best to assist their mother with searching and cutting grass for animals, filling the bathroom storage with water from the well, and herding goats in the field. Somehow, Maral's mother's words made her terrified of being a housewife and not getting education. So, Maral was extremely determined that she should get higher education, no matter how hard it was going to be.

Maral was so adamant and stubborn to get higher education that at the age of 18 she won a full scholarship to attend a University in Russia, and her father had to agree to let her study abroad: a woman pursuing higher education was unprecedented, yet alone studying abroad thousands of miles away from the family and the protection it offered. But Maral would never have traded the opportunity that she worked so hard to earn, and five years later she graduated from TSU with an MA degree in Publishing Business and Editing.

Following this milestone, Maral embarked on a transformative journey, attending a Summer Program in Europe and earning a certificate from The Fund for American Studies and Charles University in Prague for satisfactory completion of the requirements of the American Institute on Political and Economic Systems. Subsequently, she returned to her home country to reunite with her family. Maral married the man she was in love with and started building her own family.

Maral and her husband moved to the capital of Turkmenistan – Ashgabat city and started building careers. Settling in Ashgabat, Maral navigated the challenges of a career transition, eventually finding her footing in the aviation industry with Turkish Airlines. Despite initial trepidation, she rose through the ranks, transitioning from a Regional Sales and Traffic Agent to a Corporate Sales and Customer Service Representative, leading her own department. Seeking further growth, Maral embarked on a new adventure pursuing a master’s in aerospace business Analytics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a decision that required relocation to the United States with her family.

Although the journey has been arduous, marked by challenges and adjustments, Maral's resilience and determination prevail. From a young girl striving to prove her worth to a determined woman charting her path to success, she is grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped her along the way.

Michelle Deitrich

As a committed professional passionate about the aviation industry, Michelle Deitrich is driven to advance her career while embracing opportunities for continual growth and development. With a proven history of success in leadership roles, she specializes in pioneering strategies to drive revenue, enhance operational efficiency, and cultivate strong relationships with customers and colleagues.

Throughout her professional journey, Michelle has led teams in innovating new revenue streams, employing creativity and strategic thinking to navigate changing market landscapes. Her dedication to operational excellence has led her to create and implement streamlined processes, consistently improving performance and productivity.

Outside of work, Michelle is a strong advocate for holistic well-being. You'll often find her at Orange Theory Fitness or at the beach, where she pursues her passion for health and wellness. She is equally committed to maintaining a balanced lifestyle through healthy eating, reading, playing the piano, and immersing herself in music. Spending quality time with her pets Gordon, the golden retriever, and George, the cat, brings her joy.

Michelle eagerly looks forward to expanding both her professional and personal horizons through involvement with the international women in aviation community.

Purevsuren Sukhbaatar

Purevsuren Sukhbaatar has worked for the National Flag Carrier of Mongolia, MIAT Mongolian Airlines, for nine years. Born and raised in Mongolia, she has spent most of her time there. Purevsuren has several international experiences to share. She completed her undergraduate degree in International Relations in the United States, spent three months as an intern at a private school in Peru, and lived in Turkey for one year as a full-time volunteer for an international humanitarian organization. She enjoys working for an airline as it allows her to travel to various countries and meet wonderful people around the world.

Samantha Delgado

Samantha Delgado is a first-generation and first-year law student at SMU Dedman School of Law where she serves as the Vice President of SMUs Air & Space Law Society. Originally from Miami, Florida, she chose to pursue a legal education in the DFW area for its abundance of air and space operations. Her mission is to inspire others to implement their passions into their career goals. Post-law school graduation, she hopes to obtain her private pilots license and pursue a career in aviation law.

Silvana Gomez

Silvana Gomez oversees business development and customer care activities for all five regions where ACI is present. She holds an LL.M in Air and Space Law from McGill University (2019) and became a Lawyer in 2014, specializing in Business Law in 2016. With over 9 years of experience in customer care and development roles, Silvana is an Airport Customer Experience Specialist focused on driving customer satisfaction and maintaining high engagement with clients.

Yemaya Bordain

Yemaya Bordain, PhD, is the President of the Americas at Switzerland-based Daedalean AI, a company creating AI-powered flight control and navigation systems to provide pilot assistance today and to enable autonomously flying aircraft in the future. In August 2022, she joined Daedalean AI as President of the Americas to launch its presence on the two continents. Based in the United States, she oversees a portfolio including the company’s global efforts in innovation, business development, product management, marketing, communications, and partnerships. Previously, she spent seven years at Intel Corporation developing industry-leading advances in partnerships with top global OEMs including Lockheed-Martin Corporation, Collins Aerospace, Indra Sistemas, and Mercury Systems. She earned a BS in electrical engineering and an MS in computer science at Clark Atlanta University and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

February 2024

Olivia White

As a Vice President in Alix Partners' Aerospace, Defense, and Airlines Practice, Olivia works hands-on with clients to solve problems and provide organizational support. With seven years of experience in A&D operations across multiple platforms, she specializes in supply chain performance as well as manufacturing optimization. She has extensive expertise in defense operations across development and production lifecycles. Olivia has worked on air and undersea platforms as well as functional teams at a leading defense contractor. She is a graduate of Lockheed Martin’s Operations Leadership Development Program with experience in quality, production operations and supply chain.

She has a Bachelors in Supply Chain Management from Baylor University, and Masters of Science in Business Analytics and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Samantha (Sam) Marnick

Sam Marnick is a strategic adviser and consultant at M7 consulting, as well as a Board Member for InTrust Bank. She was the Chief Operating Officer (COO), President of the Commercial business, for Spirit AeroSystems until December 2023 leading over 12,000 employees across 9 global locations (UK, Europe, US and Asia) with over 15m sq. ft. of manufacturing facilities with approximately $5B in revenue. As COO, was responsible for all global manufacturing operations, supply chain, fabrication, tooling and footprint.

Prior to becoming COO in 2020, Marnick held a progression of leadership roles since joining Spirit shortly after the company’s creation in June 2005. Her prior roles at Spirit include Executive Vice President and Chief Administration Officer (CAO) and Corporate Strategy, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Senior Vice President of Corporate Administration and Human Resources, Vice President of Labor Relations & Workforce Strategies, Communications and Employee Engagement.

Before joining the company, Marnick was a senior consultant and Principal for Mercer Human Resources Consulting, holding management positions in both the United Kingdom and in the United States. Her prior experience focused on human capital research, change and communication, working with U.S. and Pan European corporations on corporate infrastructure, leadership and development, compensation and benefits programs, mergers and acquisitions, and global corporate strategies.

Sharon McKenna

Sharon McKenna has over 40 years in equipment finance with a specific focus on Aircraft. In those years, she has worked in every department related to aircraft finance, including structures, equity investments, pricing, residuals, remarketing, contracts, and credit, and now insure the future values of aircraft and manage risks.

Shelley Raina Talwar

Since her father was a pilot, Shelley Raina Talwar has been passionate about aviation since birth. Having studied Aerospace Engineering and obtained a B.Eng in Canada (specialising in propulsion and aerodynamics) and an MSc in the United Kingdom (Cranfield University - Aerospace Dynamics), she brings 18 years of professional experience.

She has employed by the aircraft lessor Avolon Aerospace for approximately 3 years. As the Vice President Airline Strategy within the Commercial team, she is responsible for aircraft marketing, providing final asset allocation recommendation to our Chief Commercial Officer and recommending which deals are accretive for the business, and leading Avalon's freighter business development strategy.

Prior to this she spent 15 years at Airbus in Toulouse (France), Hamburg (Germany), and Bristol (UK). She started her professional career in 2006 after obtaining my MSc from Cranfield University, and worked in the Aerodynamic design office in Toulouse, France, where she was responsible for the aerodynamic design of new single aisle nacelles and engine integration. Over her 15 years at Airbus, she worked across functions, moving from Engineering to A350 Program (responsible for the manufacturing and integration of the Flight Test System on the wings), later to Customer Services and then finally Commercial Aircraft Sales and Marketing.

She is truly a multi-cultural Canadian—proudly born and raised in Vancouver—with a very European heart thanks to her proud connection to France and Germany. She has lived in France, Germany, the UK, Singapore and currently lives and works in Dubai, UAE.

Gemma Downs

Gemma Downs is in-house Corporate Counsel for Jetcraft.

She obtained her Law degree in 2016 and subsequently qualified as a Solicitor in 2023. Since finishing her studies, Gemma has forged a career as a trusted legal advisor, finding practical and effective solutions to complex legal issues. At Jetcraft, Gemma provides support and guidance on contract negotiation and drafting, and has successfully negotiated aircraft purchase agreements and other aviation-related contracts.

In her previous role, Gemma specialised in property law and developed extensive experience drafting and negotiating leases, sale and purchase agreements and other real estate contracts and transactions.

Outside of work, Gemma enjoys practising yoga and cycling to maintain a healthy lifestyle. She also values spending time with friends and family, and making new connections through socialising. Her personal philosophy is centred around helping others wherever possible, and she takes pride in making a positive impact on the lives of those around her.

Vanessa Aaron

Vanessa Aaron is a long time pilot and flight instructor, air force veteran, and former air traffic controller turned lawyer.

Natalie Pronovost

Natalie Pronovost has achieved a Master in Software Engineering early in my career that allowed her to land her first job in the Aerospace industry as a Quality Assurance Lead for embedded software of a Fighter plane manufactured by Lockheed Martin. She has spent 13 years learning about the industry being directly involved in the operations and fleet management of the Fighter. After that experience, she moved in the Data analytics space understanding how to extract data from sensors and MROs to better optimize costs and time. After 5 years of data learning, she realized that the usage of the cloud to enable the data, models, AI was inevitable. Therefore, today she works for AWS and I am helping customers in the Aerospace industry transform and innovation with the cloud.

Saglara Meyer

With over 12 years experience in project, change and HR management, Saglara is a goal-oriented professional with demonstrated success designing and implementing new strategies, plans, and processes for optimizing the people operations within organizations. Recognized throughout career for an outstanding work ethic and excellent relationship-building skills, as well as the ability to drive positive change and help build workplace diverse & talented cultures known for strong engagement.

As HR Business Partner, her mission is to empower the talented and passionate team members to fulfill their potential and achieve their career goals. Saglara is dedicated to shaping work culture that attracts and inspires top talent worldwide. She holds SHRM-CP and People Manager Qualification Credentials from the Society for Human Resource Management, and Change Management Practitioner Credential from Prosci. A strong proponent of Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility and DE&I, she leads initiatives within the field. Her expertise is supported by the Stanford University Certification in Leveraging DE&I in organizations and her MSc in Environmental Policy and Planning from Roskilde University in Denmark.

Saglara is currently serve as Chair to Certification Committee with local to Puget Sound SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) organization. She is also an advisor in Strategic Plan Development Committee with Lake Washington School District.

She's been emerged in Aviation and Aerospace world since January 2023 and immensely inspired by the industry. In support of women engineers, she has implemented talent management initiatives that resulted in tripling the number of female engineers companywide.

Julie Garland

Julie is the Founder and CEO of Avtrain - one of Europe’s leading drone training and consultancy organisations setting the standards for others to follow. She is a former Airline Training Captain, Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, Barrister at Law and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; prior to undertaking her position as CEO of Avtrain she was the Director Compliance for Norwegian Air International. She is the founding and current Vice-Chair of the Unmanned Aircraft Association of Ireland and sits on the Board of Directors of JEDA - Joint European Drone Associations as the Irish representative and is the JEDA representative on JARUS – the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems where she is Vice-Chair of the JARUS Industry Stakeholder's Body Steering Committee. She also a member of the Board of Advisors for the Estonian Aviation Academy (EAVA) and is a Royal Aeronautical Society Mentor for aspiring aviators. Julie has been the recipient of many awards and accolades including being listed in the 2023 eVTOL Insights Powerbook and winning Airwards Training & Certification Organisation along with multiple podcasts such a Jarlath Regan, The Flying Irishman and Jo Moses, Formidable Females of Future Flight.

Kristin Spear

With over three decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Kristin Spear has developed a diverse skill set spanning fine dining, hotel management, and corporate aviation. The friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers is the hallmark of her professional life. In addition, she spent 18 years in fashion advertising and now manages social media and strategic branding for an aviation company. She has served on the board for the Beaverton Downtown Association and chaired the annual fundraiser for St. John Fisher school.

Michaela Lucas

Michaela Lucas is the Co-Director of the NASA Space Grant and EPSCoR Programs for Nebraska in the U.S. This NASA program is meant to be the "face of NASA" in each state. It provides funds for students and faculty to engage in NASA-related projects such as space payloads, university rocket and robotics competitions, high altitude ballooning, and more. Michaela developed the Nebraska Space Ambassador program in 2013 and she partnered with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to host the first national conference for educators at KSC in 2018 and 2019.

Previously, Michaela served as a full-time aviation faculty member at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she taught Aviation Safety, Airport Safety & Security, Diversity in Aviation, Introduction to Aviation and Aerospace, and other courses. She served as director for a national aviation policy seminar for university students in Washington, D.C. Michaela continues to teach as an aviation adjunct instructor for UNO.

Burcu Sahinkaya

Bernadette Ryan

Bernadette Ryan is a highly experienced aviation professional with expertise in global aviation finance with more than twenty years of experience working with aircraft leasing companies, banks, airlines, lawfirms, insurance companies, rating agencies, borrowers, FAA counsel, local counsel in foreign jurisdictions, and aviation registration authorities globally. Experience includes international and cross-border acquisition, sale, leasing, novation, asset finance and assignment transactions involving commercial and private aircraft and aircraft engines. Prior to joining Pillsbury, she worked at ILFC, (now owned by AERCAP), a global leader in aircraft leasing for 18 years.

Erika Pearson

Erika Pearson is vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing for Southeast Asia and Oceania for Boeing as of January 2023. Pearson will be based in Singapore and is responsible for commercial airplanes and services sales in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands.

Throughout her nearly 30-year career at Boeing, Pearson has worked across multiple business units, including engineering, product development and sales, taking on roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently, Erika served as the President of Boeing Business Jets, where she led Commercial aircraft sales to Business Jet, Government & Military customers.

Pearson joined Boeing in 1993 as an aerodynamics engineer in Product Development.

Early in her career, she worked as a performance engineer focused on customers in Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands for all Boeing airplane models. Joining the sales team in 2008 as business director and deputy vice president of Leasing and Asset Management, Pearson progressed through various roles advancing commercial airplanes sales campaign activity throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. Pearson was named Asia Pacific sales director in 2015 for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, where she led the Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, Fiji Airways and Singapore Airlines Group accounts. She also served as business director and deputy vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales from 2011-2015.

Pearson is a 1993 graduate of Purdue University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. In 2008, she was awarded an MBA from the University of Washington Executive Program. She also served on the Advisory Board of Purdue University’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics from 2008 to 2020 and in 2012 was honored with the school’s Outstanding Aerospace Engineer award.

Claire Gini

Claire Gini began her professional career in Airbus in 2006 as a structural engineer. Eager to discover various facets of working for a pioneering international aircraft manufacturer, she then continued my career in various departments, from Finance Corporate to Industrial Projects and Strategy. These assignments were also the opportunity to live and work in different European cities (Bristol, UK; Toulouse, France, Hamburg, Germany).

In 2020, Claire transitioned to Airbus Americas, the American affiliate of Airbus to take a Finance Director position. On top of her day job, she became the leader for the gender-diversity focused Employee Resource Group, WIN@Airbus and has held this position since. She recently took over a new position as Transformation and Sustainability Director and remains passionate about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She is looking forward to continuing to advocate on this topic through her IAWA membership.

Narisha Karan