After a thorough search, Women in Aviation International (WAI) has announced four new appointments to the full-time staff during the month of July.
A new associate editor, Jabili Kandula, WAI 88779, will assist with the production of Aviation for Women and Aviation for Girls magazines, in addition to website content and social media. Jabili is a recent graduate of Rutgers University-New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and media studies. Jabili is a private pilot and the first female president of the Aviation Club at her university.
Annie Stikeleather, WAI 107402, has joined WAI as manager of youth programs and will be responsible for implementing a new educational and experience-based version of the Aviation for Girls App, as well as age-appropriate resources for Girls in Aviation Day. Annie brings nearly 10 years of teaching experience specializing in youth art education with a Master of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a private pilot and has her UAS Remote Pilot Part 107 license.
Both Jabili and Annie will report to Kelly Murphy, WAI director of communications.
Trish Steineke, WAI 27692, a long-time WAI volunteer coordinator, has been hired as conference and events coordinator to assist Kerisa Citro, director of conferences and events, with the management and development of WAI’s annual conference and Connect events. Trish previously worked at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) managing the International Aerobatic Club – a division of the EAA.
Jessi Rowden, WAI 73069, a leader in the WAI Land of Enchantment Chapter, is WAI’s new manager of chapter relations, working with Molly Martin, director of membership engagement, to expand the resources and support to the WAI chapter network that has grown to more than 155 chapters around the world. Jessi is the co-vice chair of NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee and was, most recently, the general manager of Cutter Aviation’s Albuquerque, New Mexico, location. Jessi brings a unique level of enthusiasm and energy to the WAI mission and will be an inspirational resource for the WAI chapters.
“These recent appointments to our WAI team reflect our dedication to respond to our members’ desire to see the continued impact of our youth programs, chapter network, and overall WAI mission. Collectively, our WAI team is uniquely positioned to bring value to the WAI members, grow existing programs, and implement new initiatives to inspire the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals across all areas of the industry,” says WAI CEO Allison McKay. “Each new staff member brings her personal passion for our nearly 15,000 members around the world, and we look forward to expanding our reach through their individual talents.”
