President's Message

September 2024

Dear IAWA Members,

I am very excited about this year’s conference in Dublin - the speakers are strong, and the program robust. IAWA continues to evolve to meet the needs our members have expressed they have, and we will be discussing this evolution at the conference. 

I am inspired by the changes and developments that each of the board members have made and contributed to in the last six months as they work to better serve our members. The all-volunteer working board exists to support our members. Sometimes it feels as though they are working full time for IAWA, and it is their passion and dedication to developing meaningful programs that enhances our ability to aggressively promote women leaders in the aviation and aerospace industry. I am grateful for the dedication of all IAWA committee volunteers and mentors as well. Their commitment to supporting IAWA’s mission keeps our initiatives going strong.

Speaking of leaders, I was reflecting on my own experiences and thinking about the one or two attributes of leadership that stood out to me from the people I admired and respected over the years. I realized that there was a correlation between my job satisfaction and performance, and those leaders that supported me in my career. The one attribute they all had was the ability to listen well. It is truly an art. Early in my management career, someone noted that you have two ears and one mouth, so you should do twice as much listening as you do talking. Well, we must give credit where credit is due. Epictetus, a Greek philosopher who spent his youth as a slave in Rome before gaining freedom after the death of Nero (under whom he served until around 60 AD) is attributed for saying; We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

Really listening is a learned behavior - trying to manage your thoughts while someone is talking and not interrupting them is not always easy. Listening is engaging with what the person is saying and understanding the point they are making. Making eye contact and the use of body language indicate you are listening. Listening is asking clarifying questions to make sure you understand. Listening is getting past a point you don’t agree to, but are open to a differing opinion. Listening is engaging other team members to have a voice as well. Listening drives better business decisions because you are open to all the facts and information in front of you. Listening gives you a better understand of how people communicate differently because of culture or upbringing. Leaders can use their listening skills to insure everyone has a voice at the table, especially women. A good listener can be empathic and respectful. Strong listening skills serve you in both your professional and personal life. While leaders do indeed need to be directive at times, if they have done a good job of really listening, they would have earned respect from their teams and thus an understanding of directives as well. I have found over the course of my career that as I continue to improve my listening skills, the outcomes of relationships and decisions made are enhanced. 

I mentioned in the beginning of my letter that we are listening to our members. I would enjoy hearing and listening to your thoughts and ideas on how we can better serve you. I hope that at the conference, we can have conversations about our industry that we can use to lift each other up, inspire each other, and make connections that will propel careers. 

Respectfully,

Deb Santos
IAWA President

June 2024

Life has a way of creating opportunities and challenges that you were not expecting.  You can plan, organize and take flight but you cannot always see the turbulence.  Sometimes that turbulence can jettison you into the air and you are left hanging for a bit.  As women, we typically pull ourselves up and find strong inherent determination to solve the problem and work through the crisis.  I, for one, like to fix problems, but when you are powerless because the issue is beyond your reach it can be frustrating.  In today’s world it can be difficult sometimes to find a region in which turbulence is not a factor.  We must reach out and find where we can make a difference, for me IAWA is an organization of like-minded women where each of us in our own way can make a difference for the betterment of women in our industry. IAWA provides us a network of women and experiences that allow a safe-haven to push beyond our capabilities and grow. We have women in leadership who dedicate themselves to giving back to younger women in the aviation and aerospace industry.  We have opportunities to collaborate with other women organizations to strengthen our goal to increase women in positions of leadership.  IAWA membership is an investment in ourselves.

In April the board met in Washington, DC to discuss IAWA long term strategy - those discussions revolved around what can we do as a board to invest and serve our members.  This was the first in person board meeting of the new board.  The energy, strength and compassion of the board for me is so uplifting.  We are making significant progress in our 501c3, long term planning for future conferences and discussing leadership programs.  Several of the advisory board members attended the meeting as well.  One advisory board member and previous board members was missing because of illness, Andrea Brantner.  We took a few funny pictures of the board and sent them to her.  She texted back with her usual wit and humor.  Andrea was so dedicated to IAWA, our mentor program, networking new members with others and the strength behind our pursuit of our 501c3.  It is with much sadness that I share with you of Andrea’s passing.  IAWA will be dedicating a memorial to her and honoring her at our conference.  

We all struggle with life - but those struggles help better ourselves. A reminder that we humans can’t really control what happens before or what happens next.  Joy, like grief, comes at you in such unexpected ways. A reminder to pay attention to the little things in life.  

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" is understood to have been coined by the American writer Elbert Hubbard in 1915. I prefer my mother’s version  -  when life gives you lemons, make lemonade and add a bit of sugar to sweeten it up a bit. 

With gratitude,

Deb Santos
IAWA President

January 2024

Welcome to the new year!

I am very pleased and honored to take the flight controls of the IAWA Board. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to follow in the flight path of Kathy Guilfoyle.

We begin the New Year with some changes to the IAWA Board of Directors. Please join me in welcoming two new, experienced leaders to the Board: Keren Rambow joins the Board as VP America’s and Carol Anderson as VP Europe. In addition to possessing passion for promoting women in our industry, Keren and Carol bring broad, diverse, and well-established aviation connections to our Board.

With new board members, the following changes have been made to other positions:

• Marita Lintener becomes the next President-Elect, as well as VP Asia in the interim. 
• Karen Ellis is our VP Treasury/Secretary. 
• MC Ernst has transitioned to VP Events. 
• Sophia Ghezai has transitioned VP Africa/Middle East.
• Selda Konukcu, VP Conference, leads our annual event, being held in Dublin, Ireland.
• Connie Avery leads Association & Affiliations Development.
• Kathy Guilfoyle is our Past President.

Shelley Svoren will continue as VP, Leader Development, Next Generation, Cris Dart as VP, Marketing and Communications and Sheila Remes as VP, Stakeholder Experience. Please view the complete IAWA Board of Directors here.

Our take off for 2024 began with a first time Connect event in India, which was held on January 10th. The bringing together of this event is an excellent example of one person, Mansi Singh, a longtime member of IAWA, deciding it was time to bring women in aviation and aerospace together in India. Many thanks to Mansi for her dedication, tenacity, inspiration, and leadership. 

A heartfelt thank you to the many hard-working IAWA committee members; you are the powerplant of the organization. We rely on your time and dedication to assist with bringing value to all our members.

The first IAWA Board meeting will be on the 24^th of January and the first course of business is to review our strategy. We will continue to focus on Invest in yourself, which we define as assisting with the development of leadership capabilities to help jettison our members’ careers. 

In Kathy’s final letter from the president, she shared her mantra an investment in IAWA is an investment in yourself and there can be no better person to invest in. Over the course of this year, the Board will be looking to offer tools and opportunities for our members to further develop their leadership capabilities. We will be spokespersons for women, fighting the perception that women aren’t ready for leadership roles in the aviation and aerospace industry.

As we begin the new year, we can expect turbulence and a few diversions. I am confident that the Board and our members will continue to soar to new heights. I remain proud of IAWA’s mission to Connect, Inspire and Lead, and of our member’s dedication to this mission.

With gratitude,

Deb Santos
IAWA President

December 2023

I am bullish on IAWA.

As we rapidly approach year end, it is time to do what all organizations and individuals do, namely, evaluate performance over the past year and tweak our plans or goals for 2024. Completing this exercise enables IAWA and each of its members to continue to grow and to develop. While there is no one formula to evaluate performance, for an organization such as IAWA, I look at growth, diversification, and engagement of our members, IAWA’s most important asset. Each IAWA member, in turn, must evaluate her membership as she would any of her investments. The criteria are the same. The one critical difference is that, unlike stocks or bonds, the value is not subject to market forces – the value is in your hands. The growth and return derive directly from your connections and level of engagement. So, let’s look at IAWA, its performance and what it offers. I think you will agree that IAWA has seen a very positive return on investment, and that each of you have not only made that possible, but also, have gained from that success.

First, IAWA has increased its membership over the past two years by 16% percent. The increased membership strengthens the organization and allows IAWA to offer more to its members.

Second, and equally important to the numerical growth, however, was the diversification of our membership. IAWA saw an increase in members from all regions and all membership levels. We have also seen an increase in the number of Advocates. The diversified global connections ensure that IAWA is healthy, and make it more likely that IAWA can sustain its growth long term.

Third, IAWA members are engaged. IAWA has more than 40 active committees which support the mission of IAWA. Mentoring, career growth, annual conference, and scholarships are only a few of the committees in which members are involved. Active committee member involvement is a win for IAWA and each of its members, as it provides the opportunity to accomplish more, particularly through a range of perspectives. The number of IAWA-sponsored events increased from 37 to 44, including such major events as the Annual Conference and the European Forum, as well as smaller events, connects and happy hours. Next year look for even more. IAWA recognizes that fostering worldwide connections among women in the aviation and aerospace field is one of its largest attractions and what allows it to have more impact in the industry.

You have heard my mantra: an investment in IAWA is an investment in yourself and there can be no better person to invest in. Each year when you pay your membership dues, remind yourself of this and start working right away to get a return on your investment, and you will continue to share in IAWA’s success. The formula is very simple: become involved at whatever level your time and company afford, make new connections at each event or meeting, and nurture these connections even as you add new ones.

As my term as IAWA’s president ends, I am happy to report that the organization is vibrant and is on a trajectory to yield higher dividends than ever before. Membership is akin to owning blue chip stock. And, while a blue chip stock is a great thing to have, do not overlook the value of the many intangible assets that membership in IAWA brings, such as lifelong friendships, memories from conferences and events, and the warm feeling that comes with being part of an organization that continues to work to achieve gender parity in the industry.

These are some of the many reasons to be bullish on IAWA and its future.

It has been an honor and privilege to serve as IAWA’s President and I look forward to my new role as Past President.

Wishing you the best in 2024!

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

The Three C's

If I were to create a recipe for a successful organization, three of the key ingredients would be Core Values, Collaboration, and Connections. The three C’s ensure that the mission of the organization is not only consistently met, but also, furthered and its global footprint broadened. Collaboration with like-minded organizations or those that share one or more of the organization’s key goals strengthens its impact. Finally, enabling frequent and diverse opportunities to connect is central to keeping members engaged and new prospects interested. Viewing the IAWA events over the past few months, the recipe has been mastered.

IAWA’s core value of promoting women in the aviation and aerospace field through networking and timely programming has never been stronger. First, the IAWA European Leadership Forum, which was held in Amsterdam on June 23rd and 24th, is a perfect example. It was an amazing event and I was honored to be part of it. There were over 100 attendees (close to half of whom were non-members) from several countries. The theme was an important one: Diversity and the Future of Aviation: A European Perspective, and it complimented prior programs addressing diversity and gender parity within the industry. LVNL, the Forum host, graciously arranged a tour of its facility and that was followed by a boat trip on the canals and a networking reception at Het West-Indisch Huis. These informal events afforded an opportunity for members to reconnect with colleagues and for others to learn about IAWA. I was told by many that my presence at the Forum demonstrated IAWA’s commitment to its European members, now in excess of 100, and increasing. Thanks to Board member Marita Lintener for her assistance with the Forum planning and attending, and to Advisory Board members Carol Anderson and Zoe Layden for also attending. Kudos to Tina Collier, Forum Chair, for her tireless efforts, and thanks to our sponsors and to Forum host LVNL.

Second, the IAWA Board of Directors and the Advisory Board met in New York for a two-day board meeting on June 12th and 13th. The intent of the combined Board and Advisory Board meetings is to facilitate collaboration within IAWA. These meetings are always jam packed and filled with discussions about what has been accomplished, and how we can continue to improve member engagement. This year our social media presence has significantly increased, our career growth opportunities expanded. The location and timing of the Board meeting coincided with the NBAA Regional Forum in White Plains, New York where Shelley Svoren moderated the panel on career growth and personal sustainability.

Finally, since March we have had 13 Connects and five happy hours planned and sponsored by our members. The value of these gatherings, which vary in size and formality, cannot be overstated.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and see you in San Diego!

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

Growing through IAWA

Blooms are just starting to appear on trees signifying that Spring is almost here in New England.  It is always an exciting time of year.   The garden stores are teaming with seed packets, plant food, and the latest in gardening products so as to nurture plants from seedlings to maturity.  The word nurture means to care for and encourage the growth and develop of.  Just as a gardener nurtures her plants and vegetables, IAWA nurtures its members through its many programs. Make sure that you are taking part in these events and maximize your personal growth.

While people often equate the need for nurturing with someone just starting out in their career, women at all levels benefit from nurturing.  IAWA’s year-round programming and career growth network, are only a few examples of the ways that IAWA supports the development of women at all stages of their career.  IAWA aims to meet the needs of its members. This year, for example, we have rolled out a Legal Committee consisting of in house and outside lawyers who have mutual interests and goals.  IAWA is also investigating an IAWA app for your phone to make it easier for members to stay connected.  IAWA is offering its members more than it ever has in the past, and it is always striving to develop or to finetune its programs to better serve its members.

IAWA has always been very active in helping to "grow" our future industry leaders. The annual scholarship programs for women studying in the aviation and aerospace field are a classic example. This year, I am pleased to report, IAWA will be giving out its 100th scholarship.  To see these young women excel as they transition from students to professionals is a testament to the efforts of IAWA members who have encouraged, supported, and assisted these women with their careers.  The Qooper mentoring program is another way that IAWA supports the growth and development of its members at all stages of their careers.  The insight that our mentors have been able to share with their mentees has made a difference.

The key to a successful garden is a dedicated gardener who consistently cares for her plants to ensure they reach full maturity.  Like a seedling that fails to thrive due to inattention from a gardener, your personal growth and development will be impacted by either a lack of or a lapse in engagement. The important distinction is that unlike the seedling who is dependent on the gardener, your personal growth depends on you.   Renew your membership today to ensure your consistent development, strengthen your connections, participate in IAWA’s committees or programs, and be a part of an international community that is making a difference. You owe it to yourself to make this investment.

Happy Women's History Month & International Women’s Day 2023 - #EmbraceEquity! 

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

My IAWA Holiday Card

We are nearing the close of 2022 and many of us prepare to celebrate various holiday traditions with our families. I am beginning to receive holiday cards from friends and family members depicting a collage of photographs of adventures and exciting events from 2022 that they want to share. These cards made me think about this challenge: What highlights would I choose from the Lisbon Conference if I were preparing to send an IAWA holiday card? It was a very difficult task. There were so many exciting moments at the Conference, focusing on building connections, industry updates, and encouraging growth and development of the next generation, that it was truly hard to choose. But as I am sure you will agree, to have an effective holiday card, you need to focus on a few things—if you try to cram in too many photographs, they simply get too small. With that added pressure of only choosing a few for my card, here are what the photographs would be on my card.

My first photograph would be of the New Member Chat with the President. The event was simple but powerful. It was a group of new members and scholarship recipients in a very large circle introducing themselves, and explaining how they became involved in IAWA, and more importantly, what they hoped to achieve through their IAWA membership. My role was as a facilitator and answering questions. In the space of one hour, this group expanded their connections, set up group meetings for people in their field or region, and came up with ideas for future events to consider in their regions. If there were specific attendees that they wanted to meet, those of us who knew the attendee offered to make the introduction. The increased traffic on social media since the conference has been wonderful to see and I hope it continues. This is our future.

My second photograph would be of lunch on either day of the conference. While choosing lunch as a favorite event seems similar to kids selecting recess as their favorite part of the school day – I think that the kids may have been right all along. All you need to do is look at the conference photographs and see the restaurant of various size tables filled with engaged attendees. During lunch each day, attendees met with current and prospective clients or business partners, they met with their committees or potential committees, and they connected with new members. The small table set up in the restaurant, albeit a little challenging for the planned committee events, nonetheless, were very conducive for
initiating, strengthening and expanding our connections. 

My final photograph would be of Divya Kamania, Alina Nassar and me at the Boeing dinner. Dyvia was a scholarship recipient when I served as VP of Scholarship and Alina was serving as President-Elect. I was amazed by Dyvia’ s accomplishments, her drive, and her gratitude. I told Dyvia in one of our first communications not only how proud I was of her but also, I encouraged her to take advantage of the opportunity that IAWA provided her. Dyvia has followed through. She has attended the Annual Conference and met as many people as she could, and she has tried to attend other IAWA events to foster these connections. Dyvia was also inspired by Alina who spoke about and exemplified the commitment of IAWA to the next generation of women leaders. When Dyvia asked Alina and I to take a picture with her, we were honored.

These three pictures are IAWA in a nutshell.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2023 and see you in San Diego!

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

Energized

Setting goals has become an integral part of our professional and personal lives. From an early age, we are encouraged to set career, athletic and personal goals. Goals have to be both measurable and attainable; otherwise they serve no purpose. Setting personal goals is much easier than setting goals for an organization and the reason why is simple: goalsetting for an organization requires buy-in and commitment from many individuals. IAWA’s primary goal is to fulfill its mission to cultivate and advance women leaders in the aviation and aerospace industry through a global network. I am happy to report that the IAWA board, advisory board and its committees are actively engaged in many different activities to collectively further our mission. As a testament to those efforts, the word that I chose for this message is energize, which means to give vitality and enthusiasm to.

IAWA’s global network is expanding and energized. IAWA targeted Europe as an area of particular focus for 2022. Europe has traditionally been one of IAWA’s largest sources of members outside the United States. We have made great progress towards that goal. First,  on June 10th, IAWA held its European Leadership Forum at the IATA Conference Center in Geneva, Switzerland. IAWA and IATA have a strong affiliation and IAWA is grateful for IATA’s support. Women and men from more than seven countries attended. I was honored to participate in the Forum alongside the two most recent past presidents, Bobbi Wells and Alina Nassar. On June 9th, IATA hosted a cocktail reception where many of the attendees gathered to connect in advance of the event. The Forum was amazing and kudos to Forum Chair Tina Collier and to IAWA VP of Europe and Asia, Marita Lintener, for their tireless efforts. We heard from a diverse group of speakers and panels including Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA, and Maya Ghazal, the first female Syrian refugee pilot. Focusing on the global network provides a unique perspective about how each region deals with and overcome issues that impact us all.

IAWA’s leaders are energized. On June 28 and 29th the IAWA board and advisory board met for an in-person meeting in New York City at Condon and Forsyth. During that board meeting, we heard about all the work that IAWA and its members had accomplished to date, but more importantly, we heard about what we could expect in the next 6 months. There were many accomplishments that I was both grateful and proud of, including an increase in membership (22% of which was European members), the award of an ISTAT grant to fund IAWA’s mentoring platform, and the fabulous annual conference program that is being planned by VP of Annual Conference Sheila Remes and conference chairs Jackie Gluck and Kaaren Cramer. When you get to Lisbon, please make sure you thank this trio for all the hard work they are putting forth for what promises to be a fabulous annual conference. Our newest board members Connie Avery, Karen Ellis, and MC Ernst brought new and fresh ideas to the meeting and have already accomplished a lot during their short tenure.

Reflecting on all that IAWA has planned for the remainder of 2022 and all of the initiatives that are being studied to grow and expand IAWA, I am energized.  See you in Lisbon!  

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

Optimism

I never envisioned that the world would be in such a turmoil when I began my first year as President of IAWA.  It seemed like the vaccinations and herd immunity would finally close the chapter on the pandemic.  But then came Omicron and the devastating invasion of the Ukraine.  Yet, despite all of this, the word that I am choosing for my first message is optimism.  Optimism is defined as hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. Even with all that is going on around us, I am optimistic that we will continue to see an increase in gender parity in the leadership of major aviation and aerospace companies.  I am optimistic that we have the formula, which if followed, will lead us to reach this goal.  Finally, I am optimistic that IAWA will play an integral role in this process through the many things that our talented members do daily. Is my optimism simply wishful thinking?  Absolutely not, and here is why.

We are seeing an unprecedented number of women assume the role of CEO in major aviation companies.  In the last two years alone, we have seen TAP, Global Aerospace, KLM, Pegasus Airlines, Air Lingus and Cape Air, among others, appoint women to head their companies. We can have no better assurance that the goal of gender parity will be furthered. We learned from the Oliver Wyman study, Liftoff to Leadership, that men and women often have very different career trajectories even when working in the same position in the same company. Women felt that they had to work harder and longer before advancing to positions held by their male counterparts.  Measurable goals, which company executives will be held accountable for meeting, are needed to bridge the gap.  I am optimistic that these new female leaders will lead the charge and make a difference.

Within IAWA, the creation of the Advocate role is a great opportunity for male leaders to become sponsors of their female colleagues; something that the Liftoff to Leadership study found was critical to closing the gap. If IAWA can identify and encourage male executives from aviation and aerospace companies around the world to become Advocates, we are advancing the sponsorship goal. In addition, as an added benefit, Advocate dues go directly towards funding our scholarships which are an integral part of the IAWA mission.

Finally, I am optimistic that the IAWA members and the Board of Directors will continue to connect, inspire, and lead women at all stages of their careers.  Never before have the offerings of IAWA been so plentiful. IAWA provides career development, mentoring, virtual events, forums, Connects at major industry events, and our flagship Annual Conference. These events would not be possible without the time and effort of the IAWA Board, Advisory Board and committee members.  So, invest in IAWA; an investment in IAWA is an investment in yourself.  Together we can and will make a difference.  Let’s remain optimistic, and I look forward to seeing you in Lisbon on November 9th – 11th.

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

September 2024

Dear IAWA Members,

I am very excited about this year’s conference in Dublin - the speakers are strong, and the program robust. IAWA continues to evolve to meet the needs our members have expressed they have, and we will be discussing this evolution at the conference. 

I am inspired by the changes and developments that each of the board members have made and contributed to in the last six months as they work to better serve our members. The all-volunteer working board exists to support our members. Sometimes it feels as though they are working full time for IAWA, and it is their passion and dedication to developing meaningful programs that enhances our ability to aggressively promote women leaders in the aviation and aerospace industry. I am grateful for the dedication of all IAWA committee volunteers and mentors as well. Their commitment to supporting IAWA’s mission keeps our initiatives going strong.

Speaking of leaders, I was reflecting on my own experiences and thinking about the one or two attributes of leadership that stood out to me from the people I admired and respected over the years. I realized that there was a correlation between my job satisfaction and performance, and those leaders that supported me in my career. The one attribute they all had was the ability to listen well. It is truly an art. Early in my management career, someone noted that you have two ears and one mouth, so you should do twice as much listening as you do talking. Well, we must give credit where credit is due. Epictetus, a Greek philosopher who spent his youth as a slave in Rome before gaining freedom after the death of Nero (under whom he served until around 60 AD) is attributed for saying; We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

Really listening is a learned behavior - trying to manage your thoughts while someone is talking and not interrupting them is not always easy. Listening is engaging with what the person is saying and understanding the point they are making. Making eye contact and the use of body language indicate you are listening. Listening is asking clarifying questions to make sure you understand. Listening is getting past a point you don’t agree to, but are open to a differing opinion. Listening is engaging other team members to have a voice as well. Listening drives better business decisions because you are open to all the facts and information in front of you. Listening gives you a better understand of how people communicate differently because of culture or upbringing. Leaders can use their listening skills to insure everyone has a voice at the table, especially women. A good listener can be empathic and respectful. Strong listening skills serve you in both your professional and personal life. While leaders do indeed need to be directive at times, if they have done a good job of really listening, they would have earned respect from their teams and thus an understanding of directives as well. I have found over the course of my career that as I continue to improve my listening skills, the outcomes of relationships and decisions made are enhanced. 

I mentioned in the beginning of my letter that we are listening to our members. I would enjoy hearing and listening to your thoughts and ideas on how we can better serve you. I hope that at the conference, we can have conversations about our industry that we can use to lift each other up, inspire each other, and make connections that will propel careers. 

Respectfully,

Deb Santos
IAWA President

June 2024

Life has a way of creating opportunities and challenges that you were not expecting.  You can plan, organize and take flight but you cannot always see the turbulence.  Sometimes that turbulence can jettison you into the air and you are left hanging for a bit.  As women, we typically pull ourselves up and find strong inherent determination to solve the problem and work through the crisis.  I, for one, like to fix problems, but when you are powerless because the issue is beyond your reach it can be frustrating.  In today’s world it can be difficult sometimes to find a region in which turbulence is not a factor.  We must reach out and find where we can make a difference, for me IAWA is an organization of like-minded women where each of us in our own way can make a difference for the betterment of women in our industry. IAWA provides us a network of women and experiences that allow a safe-haven to push beyond our capabilities and grow. We have women in leadership who dedicate themselves to giving back to younger women in the aviation and aerospace industry.  We have opportunities to collaborate with other women organizations to strengthen our goal to increase women in positions of leadership.  IAWA membership is an investment in ourselves.

In April the board met in Washington, DC to discuss IAWA long term strategy - those discussions revolved around what can we do as a board to invest and serve our members.  This was the first in person board meeting of the new board.  The energy, strength and compassion of the board for me is so uplifting.  We are making significant progress in our 501c3, long term planning for future conferences and discussing leadership programs.  Several of the advisory board members attended the meeting as well.  One advisory board member and previous board members was missing because of illness, Andrea Brantner.  We took a few funny pictures of the board and sent them to her.  She texted back with her usual wit and humor.  Andrea was so dedicated to IAWA, our mentor program, networking new members with others and the strength behind our pursuit of our 501c3.  It is with much sadness that I share with you of Andrea’s passing.  IAWA will be dedicating a memorial to her and honoring her at our conference.  

We all struggle with life - but those struggles help better ourselves. A reminder that we humans can’t really control what happens before or what happens next.  Joy, like grief, comes at you in such unexpected ways. A reminder to pay attention to the little things in life.  

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" is understood to have been coined by the American writer Elbert Hubbard in 1915. I prefer my mother’s version  -  when life gives you lemons, make lemonade and add a bit of sugar to sweeten it up a bit. 

With gratitude,

Deb Santos
IAWA President

January 2024

Welcome to the new year!

I am very pleased and honored to take the flight controls of the IAWA Board. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to follow in the flight path of Kathy Guilfoyle.

We begin the New Year with some changes to the IAWA Board of Directors. Please join me in welcoming two new, experienced leaders to the Board: Keren Rambow joins the Board as VP America’s and Carol Anderson as VP Europe. In addition to possessing passion for promoting women in our industry, Keren and Carol bring broad, diverse, and well-established aviation connections to our Board.

With new board members, the following changes have been made to other positions:

• Marita Lintener becomes the next President-Elect, as well as VP Asia in the interim. 
• Karen Ellis is our VP Treasury/Secretary. 
• MC Ernst has transitioned to VP Events. 
• Sophia Ghezai has transitioned VP Africa/Middle East.
• Selda Konukcu, VP Conference, leads our annual event, being held in Dublin, Ireland.
• Connie Avery leads Association & Affiliations Development.
• Kathy Guilfoyle is our Past President.

Shelley Svoren will continue as VP, Leader Development, Next Generation, Cris Dart as VP, Marketing and Communications and Sheila Remes as VP, Stakeholder Experience. Please view the complete IAWA Board of Directors here.

Our take off for 2024 began with a first time Connect event in India, which was held on January 10th. The bringing together of this event is an excellent example of one person, Mansi Singh, a longtime member of IAWA, deciding it was time to bring women in aviation and aerospace together in India. Many thanks to Mansi for her dedication, tenacity, inspiration, and leadership. 

A heartfelt thank you to the many hard-working IAWA committee members; you are the powerplant of the organization. We rely on your time and dedication to assist with bringing value to all our members.

The first IAWA Board meeting will be on the 24^th of January and the first course of business is to review our strategy. We will continue to focus on Invest in yourself, which we define as assisting with the development of leadership capabilities to help jettison our members’ careers. 

In Kathy’s final letter from the president, she shared her mantra an investment in IAWA is an investment in yourself and there can be no better person to invest in. Over the course of this year, the Board will be looking to offer tools and opportunities for our members to further develop their leadership capabilities. We will be spokespersons for women, fighting the perception that women aren’t ready for leadership roles in the aviation and aerospace industry.

As we begin the new year, we can expect turbulence and a few diversions. I am confident that the Board and our members will continue to soar to new heights. I remain proud of IAWA’s mission to Connect, Inspire and Lead, and of our member’s dedication to this mission.

With gratitude,

Deb Santos
IAWA President

December 2023

I am bullish on IAWA.

As we rapidly approach year end, it is time to do what all organizations and individuals do, namely, evaluate performance over the past year and tweak our plans or goals for 2024. Completing this exercise enables IAWA and each of its members to continue to grow and to develop. While there is no one formula to evaluate performance, for an organization such as IAWA, I look at growth, diversification, and engagement of our members, IAWA’s most important asset. Each IAWA member, in turn, must evaluate her membership as she would any of her investments. The criteria are the same. The one critical difference is that, unlike stocks or bonds, the value is not subject to market forces – the value is in your hands. The growth and return derive directly from your connections and level of engagement. So, let’s look at IAWA, its performance and what it offers. I think you will agree that IAWA has seen a very positive return on investment, and that each of you have not only made that possible, but also, have gained from that success.

First, IAWA has increased its membership over the past two years by 16% percent. The increased membership strengthens the organization and allows IAWA to offer more to its members.

Second, and equally important to the numerical growth, however, was the diversification of our membership. IAWA saw an increase in members from all regions and all membership levels. We have also seen an increase in the number of Advocates. The diversified global connections ensure that IAWA is healthy, and make it more likely that IAWA can sustain its growth long term.

Third, IAWA members are engaged. IAWA has more than 40 active committees which support the mission of IAWA. Mentoring, career growth, annual conference, and scholarships are only a few of the committees in which members are involved. Active committee member involvement is a win for IAWA and each of its members, as it provides the opportunity to accomplish more, particularly through a range of perspectives. The number of IAWA-sponsored events increased from 37 to 44, including such major events as the Annual Conference and the European Forum, as well as smaller events, connects and happy hours. Next year look for even more. IAWA recognizes that fostering worldwide connections among women in the aviation and aerospace field is one of its largest attractions and what allows it to have more impact in the industry.

You have heard my mantra: an investment in IAWA is an investment in yourself and there can be no better person to invest in. Each year when you pay your membership dues, remind yourself of this and start working right away to get a return on your investment, and you will continue to share in IAWA’s success. The formula is very simple: become involved at whatever level your time and company afford, make new connections at each event or meeting, and nurture these connections even as you add new ones.

As my term as IAWA’s president ends, I am happy to report that the organization is vibrant and is on a trajectory to yield higher dividends than ever before. Membership is akin to owning blue chip stock. And, while a blue chip stock is a great thing to have, do not overlook the value of the many intangible assets that membership in IAWA brings, such as lifelong friendships, memories from conferences and events, and the warm feeling that comes with being part of an organization that continues to work to achieve gender parity in the industry.

These are some of the many reasons to be bullish on IAWA and its future.

It has been an honor and privilege to serve as IAWA’s President and I look forward to my new role as Past President.

Wishing you the best in 2024!

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

The Three C's

If I were to create a recipe for a successful organization, three of the key ingredients would be Core Values, Collaboration, and Connections. The three C’s ensure that the mission of the organization is not only consistently met, but also, furthered and its global footprint broadened. Collaboration with like-minded organizations or those that share one or more of the organization’s key goals strengthens its impact. Finally, enabling frequent and diverse opportunities to connect is central to keeping members engaged and new prospects interested. Viewing the IAWA events over the past few months, the recipe has been mastered.

IAWA’s core value of promoting women in the aviation and aerospace field through networking and timely programming has never been stronger. First, the IAWA European Leadership Forum, which was held in Amsterdam on June 23rd and 24th, is a perfect example. It was an amazing event and I was honored to be part of it. There were over 100 attendees (close to half of whom were non-members) from several countries. The theme was an important one: Diversity and the Future of Aviation: A European Perspective, and it complimented prior programs addressing diversity and gender parity within the industry. LVNL, the Forum host, graciously arranged a tour of its facility and that was followed by a boat trip on the canals and a networking reception at Het West-Indisch Huis. These informal events afforded an opportunity for members to reconnect with colleagues and for others to learn about IAWA. I was told by many that my presence at the Forum demonstrated IAWA’s commitment to its European members, now in excess of 100, and increasing. Thanks to Board member Marita Lintener for her assistance with the Forum planning and attending, and to Advisory Board members Carol Anderson and Zoe Layden for also attending. Kudos to Tina Collier, Forum Chair, for her tireless efforts, and thanks to our sponsors and to Forum host LVNL.

Second, the IAWA Board of Directors and the Advisory Board met in New York for a two-day board meeting on June 12th and 13th. The intent of the combined Board and Advisory Board meetings is to facilitate collaboration within IAWA. These meetings are always jam packed and filled with discussions about what has been accomplished, and how we can continue to improve member engagement. This year our social media presence has significantly increased, our career growth opportunities expanded. The location and timing of the Board meeting coincided with the NBAA Regional Forum in White Plains, New York where Shelley Svoren moderated the panel on career growth and personal sustainability.

Finally, since March we have had 13 Connects and five happy hours planned and sponsored by our members. The value of these gatherings, which vary in size and formality, cannot be overstated.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and see you in San Diego!

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

Growing through IAWA

Blooms are just starting to appear on trees signifying that Spring is almost here in New England.  It is always an exciting time of year.   The garden stores are teaming with seed packets, plant food, and the latest in gardening products so as to nurture plants from seedlings to maturity.  The word nurture means to care for and encourage the growth and develop of.  Just as a gardener nurtures her plants and vegetables, IAWA nurtures its members through its many programs. Make sure that you are taking part in these events and maximize your personal growth.

While people often equate the need for nurturing with someone just starting out in their career, women at all levels benefit from nurturing.  IAWA’s year-round programming and career growth network, are only a few examples of the ways that IAWA supports the development of women at all stages of their career.  IAWA aims to meet the needs of its members. This year, for example, we have rolled out a Legal Committee consisting of in house and outside lawyers who have mutual interests and goals.  IAWA is also investigating an IAWA app for your phone to make it easier for members to stay connected.  IAWA is offering its members more than it ever has in the past, and it is always striving to develop or to finetune its programs to better serve its members.

IAWA has always been very active in helping to "grow" our future industry leaders. The annual scholarship programs for women studying in the aviation and aerospace field are a classic example. This year, I am pleased to report, IAWA will be giving out its 100th scholarship.  To see these young women excel as they transition from students to professionals is a testament to the efforts of IAWA members who have encouraged, supported, and assisted these women with their careers.  The Qooper mentoring program is another way that IAWA supports the growth and development of its members at all stages of their careers.  The insight that our mentors have been able to share with their mentees has made a difference.

The key to a successful garden is a dedicated gardener who consistently cares for her plants to ensure they reach full maturity.  Like a seedling that fails to thrive due to inattention from a gardener, your personal growth and development will be impacted by either a lack of or a lapse in engagement. The important distinction is that unlike the seedling who is dependent on the gardener, your personal growth depends on you.   Renew your membership today to ensure your consistent development, strengthen your connections, participate in IAWA’s committees or programs, and be a part of an international community that is making a difference. You owe it to yourself to make this investment.

Happy Women's History Month & International Women’s Day 2023 - #EmbraceEquity! 

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

My IAWA Holiday Card

We are nearing the close of 2022 and many of us prepare to celebrate various holiday traditions with our families. I am beginning to receive holiday cards from friends and family members depicting a collage of photographs of adventures and exciting events from 2022 that they want to share. These cards made me think about this challenge: What highlights would I choose from the Lisbon Conference if I were preparing to send an IAWA holiday card? It was a very difficult task. There were so many exciting moments at the Conference, focusing on building connections, industry updates, and encouraging growth and development of the next generation, that it was truly hard to choose. But as I am sure you will agree, to have an effective holiday card, you need to focus on a few things—if you try to cram in too many photographs, they simply get too small. With that added pressure of only choosing a few for my card, here are what the photographs would be on my card.

My first photograph would be of the New Member Chat with the President. The event was simple but powerful. It was a group of new members and scholarship recipients in a very large circle introducing themselves, and explaining how they became involved in IAWA, and more importantly, what they hoped to achieve through their IAWA membership. My role was as a facilitator and answering questions. In the space of one hour, this group expanded their connections, set up group meetings for people in their field or region, and came up with ideas for future events to consider in their regions. If there were specific attendees that they wanted to meet, those of us who knew the attendee offered to make the introduction. The increased traffic on social media since the conference has been wonderful to see and I hope it continues. This is our future.

My second photograph would be of lunch on either day of the conference. While choosing lunch as a favorite event seems similar to kids selecting recess as their favorite part of the school day – I think that the kids may have been right all along. All you need to do is look at the conference photographs and see the restaurant of various size tables filled with engaged attendees. During lunch each day, attendees met with current and prospective clients or business partners, they met with their committees or potential committees, and they connected with new members. The small table set up in the restaurant, albeit a little challenging for the planned committee events, nonetheless, were very conducive for
initiating, strengthening and expanding our connections. 

My final photograph would be of Divya Kamania, Alina Nassar and me at the Boeing dinner. Dyvia was a scholarship recipient when I served as VP of Scholarship and Alina was serving as President-Elect. I was amazed by Dyvia’ s accomplishments, her drive, and her gratitude. I told Dyvia in one of our first communications not only how proud I was of her but also, I encouraged her to take advantage of the opportunity that IAWA provided her. Dyvia has followed through. She has attended the Annual Conference and met as many people as she could, and she has tried to attend other IAWA events to foster these connections. Dyvia was also inspired by Alina who spoke about and exemplified the commitment of IAWA to the next generation of women leaders. When Dyvia asked Alina and I to take a picture with her, we were honored.

These three pictures are IAWA in a nutshell.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2023 and see you in San Diego!

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

Energized

Setting goals has become an integral part of our professional and personal lives. From an early age, we are encouraged to set career, athletic and personal goals. Goals have to be both measurable and attainable; otherwise they serve no purpose. Setting personal goals is much easier than setting goals for an organization and the reason why is simple: goalsetting for an organization requires buy-in and commitment from many individuals. IAWA’s primary goal is to fulfill its mission to cultivate and advance women leaders in the aviation and aerospace industry through a global network. I am happy to report that the IAWA board, advisory board and its committees are actively engaged in many different activities to collectively further our mission. As a testament to those efforts, the word that I chose for this message is energize, which means to give vitality and enthusiasm to.

IAWA’s global network is expanding and energized. IAWA targeted Europe as an area of particular focus for 2022. Europe has traditionally been one of IAWA’s largest sources of members outside the United States. We have made great progress towards that goal. First,  on June 10th, IAWA held its European Leadership Forum at the IATA Conference Center in Geneva, Switzerland. IAWA and IATA have a strong affiliation and IAWA is grateful for IATA’s support. Women and men from more than seven countries attended. I was honored to participate in the Forum alongside the two most recent past presidents, Bobbi Wells and Alina Nassar. On June 9th, IATA hosted a cocktail reception where many of the attendees gathered to connect in advance of the event. The Forum was amazing and kudos to Forum Chair Tina Collier and to IAWA VP of Europe and Asia, Marita Lintener, for their tireless efforts. We heard from a diverse group of speakers and panels including Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA, and Maya Ghazal, the first female Syrian refugee pilot. Focusing on the global network provides a unique perspective about how each region deals with and overcome issues that impact us all.

IAWA’s leaders are energized. On June 28 and 29th the IAWA board and advisory board met for an in-person meeting in New York City at Condon and Forsyth. During that board meeting, we heard about all the work that IAWA and its members had accomplished to date, but more importantly, we heard about what we could expect in the next 6 months. There were many accomplishments that I was both grateful and proud of, including an increase in membership (22% of which was European members), the award of an ISTAT grant to fund IAWA’s mentoring platform, and the fabulous annual conference program that is being planned by VP of Annual Conference Sheila Remes and conference chairs Jackie Gluck and Kaaren Cramer. When you get to Lisbon, please make sure you thank this trio for all the hard work they are putting forth for what promises to be a fabulous annual conference. Our newest board members Connie Avery, Karen Ellis, and MC Ernst brought new and fresh ideas to the meeting and have already accomplished a lot during their short tenure.

Reflecting on all that IAWA has planned for the remainder of 2022 and all of the initiatives that are being studied to grow and expand IAWA, I am energized.  See you in Lisbon!  

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association

Optimism

I never envisioned that the world would be in such a turmoil when I began my first year as President of IAWA.  It seemed like the vaccinations and herd immunity would finally close the chapter on the pandemic.  But then came Omicron and the devastating invasion of the Ukraine.  Yet, despite all of this, the word that I am choosing for my first message is optimism.  Optimism is defined as hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. Even with all that is going on around us, I am optimistic that we will continue to see an increase in gender parity in the leadership of major aviation and aerospace companies.  I am optimistic that we have the formula, which if followed, will lead us to reach this goal.  Finally, I am optimistic that IAWA will play an integral role in this process through the many things that our talented members do daily. Is my optimism simply wishful thinking?  Absolutely not, and here is why.

We are seeing an unprecedented number of women assume the role of CEO in major aviation companies.  In the last two years alone, we have seen TAP, Global Aerospace, KLM, Pegasus Airlines, Air Lingus and Cape Air, among others, appoint women to head their companies. We can have no better assurance that the goal of gender parity will be furthered. We learned from the Oliver Wyman study, Liftoff to Leadership, that men and women often have very different career trajectories even when working in the same position in the same company. Women felt that they had to work harder and longer before advancing to positions held by their male counterparts.  Measurable goals, which company executives will be held accountable for meeting, are needed to bridge the gap.  I am optimistic that these new female leaders will lead the charge and make a difference.

Within IAWA, the creation of the Advocate role is a great opportunity for male leaders to become sponsors of their female colleagues; something that the Liftoff to Leadership study found was critical to closing the gap. If IAWA can identify and encourage male executives from aviation and aerospace companies around the world to become Advocates, we are advancing the sponsorship goal. In addition, as an added benefit, Advocate dues go directly towards funding our scholarships which are an integral part of the IAWA mission.

Finally, I am optimistic that the IAWA members and the Board of Directors will continue to connect, inspire, and lead women at all stages of their careers.  Never before have the offerings of IAWA been so plentiful. IAWA provides career development, mentoring, virtual events, forums, Connects at major industry events, and our flagship Annual Conference. These events would not be possible without the time and effort of the IAWA Board, Advisory Board and committee members.  So, invest in IAWA; an investment in IAWA is an investment in yourself.  Together we can and will make a difference.  Let’s remain optimistic, and I look forward to seeing you in Lisbon on November 9th – 11th.

Kathleen M. Guilfoyle

President, International Aviation Womens Association