On Friday, December 6th, 2024, more than 1,300 people gathered on the northeast corner of Tulsa International Airport to celebrate the 8th Annual Oklahoma Women in Aviation & Aerospace Day Luncheon, honoring the trailblazing women who shaped Oklahoma’s early days in aviation and celebrating the success of today’s most influential aviation leaders from across the State.
The event, which launched in December 2017 at Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City, came together following the passage of Senate Bill 230 (2017 legislative session). Sandra Shelton with the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace & Aeronautics (then the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission) partnered with Kristy Slater, Past President of the Oklahoma Airport Operators Association to host the inaugural event in the hangar of Atlantic Aviation on the first Saturday in December, coinciding with the date in State Statute. Evin Jefferson, manager of Atlantic Aviation, generously offered to host the brunch to honor the contributions of women to the industry. Much to the delight of organizers, 160 people attended the event, which included a keynote address from Erin Chapel, an author, and pilot, who focused her message on the power we all have to “be the one to someone” – reminding attendees that the power lies within all of us to invest in ourselves and in others – one person at a time.
The success of the inaugural event was followed in 2018 when the event moved to Tulsa International Airport and was hosted at Bizjet. With the support of the airport’s then interim CEO, Alexis Higgins, the event drew a crowd of over 400 people and attendees enjoyed a keynote fireside chat with Nan Gaylord, the first female FAA designated pilot examiner, and Jennifer Wise, a Captain at Southwest Airlines, also an FAA DPE. In 2019, the event moved back to Oklahoma City, this time at the OKC airport in a WWII era hangar now occupied by AAR – with over 800 people in attendance.
Even the pandemic in 2020 could not slow down the momentum of event organizers, as participants moved to a web-based platform with presentations by Janet Karika and Jody Singer of NASA, the event theme “Mission: Opportunity” virtually hosted 450 participants from nine countries as the keynotes shared their insight of the future of space flight.
Each year the event has rotated between OKC and TUL, drawing larger crowds and powerful keynote speakers, including Admiral Peg Klein, Wally Funk, Gigi Coleman, Major Heather Penney, Col. Eileen Collins and celebrity emcees Commander John Herrington and Jake Rademacher, a Los Angeles based film maker.
One of the pillars of the event in 2024, which is hosted by the 138th Fighter Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, is focused on inspiring the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals. Over 470 students were in attendance from 32 high schools. Students met pilots and technicians, saw airplanes (including F-16’s) up close, and felt the surge of enthusiasm that flowed from all attendees whose passion and love for the aviation is rooted in their desire to support an industry that is critical to our national security, commerce, and quality of life.
While the event has now developed to be the largest annual gathering of aviation stakeholders in the State of Oklahoma, Shelton, Slater, Jefferson and Higgins all agree – there’s still room to grow. Aviation and aerospace is the state’s fastest growing industry and – thanks to their efforts – it is an industry that is now more accessible to women than ever before. “The push is on to make the aviation and aerospace industry the State’s top economic driver,” said Shelton. “The work we’re doing today is laying a foundation for our success and it complements a statewide strategy to inspire students of all backgrounds to pursue a career that harnesses their talents and interests in a mission that is meaningful to so many. It’s exciting to be a part of something that continues to grow in size and impact each year.”
