Imagine, if you will… a historic hangar full of people on a sunny day, having lunch and celebrating the many contributions of women in aviation and aerospace. Okay…that’s what you’re going to have to do. Imagine it. Though last year’s event was just as you may have visualized, this year’s celebration was held virtually (out of an abundance of caution) due to the global health crisis. Despite the difference in delivery, this year’s message was just as powerful and inspirational to those in attendance.
The virtual Zoom webinar featured many important Oklahoma State officials who contributed their sentiments toward the role of women in aviation and aerospace today. Alexis Higgins, CEO of Tulsa International’s Airport Improvement Trust emceed the event, introducing State officials and keynote speakers.
Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell was first, mentioning the importance of having jobs in our state to make it more possible for young girls to realize their dreams. Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz echoed the Lt. Governor’s statements about the importance of bringing jobs into Oklahoma. "Aviation and Aerospace is woven into the fabric of our state," he said. We have policies in Oklahoma that ensure the viability of aerospace, with 120 miles of runways and 108 public airports across the state. He thanked the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission for recognizing women in this industry.
Secretary of Commerce and Workforce, Sean Kouplen, followed by declaring that there are currently many women in key positions in the aviation and aerospace industry across the state. Since ninety-three percent of Oklahoma’s businesses were kept open during the global health crisis, $143M of CARES Act funding went into the business relief program, which helped many jobs to stay afloat. Going forward, we are going to focus on a few states (California, Washington, Illinois, New York) that are anti-business. Kouplen said that we’ll be, "aggressively marketing to them, that businesses there need to come to Oklahoma." There are 128 companies in the pipeline that are interested in coming to Oklahoma now, including those dealing with aerospace and defense. "Exciting things are happening now," Kouplen said, with regard to innovative companies that deal with Unmanned Aerial Systems, rocket fuel, and commercial space to name a few. He finished his portion of the event by stating, "My wife is a business executive, and we tell our two daughters that they can be anything they want to be."
Next, Alexis handed the "stage" over to Tonya Blansett from the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, who moderated a Q&A session for the two important speakers: Janet Karika, Principal Advisor on Space Transportation to the (NASA) Administrator, and Jody Singer, Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Janet and Jody first briefly described their journeys and inspirations in life, and what prompted them to pursue career paths with NASA. Janet watched the Apollo/Soyuz mission on television as a child. She was inspired by seeing General Thomas P. Stafford shaking hands with Russian Cosmonauts across an airlock, which brought our two nations together during the height of the Cold War. She studied Mechanical Engineering and loved it. She joined the Air Force and made a career out of it. After 20 years, she left to become an Advisor to the Department of Defense, and then became an Advisor to NASA, and was eventually asked by NASA Administrator (Jim Bridenstein) to be his Chief Advisor on Space Transportation. Jody was inspired by her sister’s college roommate, who was studying Industrial Engineering, despite a lack of technical female role models back then. She is now dealing with human space flight, and has come a long way, and imparts that there is no one way to get to where you want to go. "Everyone has their own story. We get to places in different ways. You have to find your own path," she said. Jody is the first female Center Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
When asked about advice they would offer to young people, Janet mentioned the importance of networking and being flexible along your path. "Find something that you love that you can also make money at," she said, also adding that you should research and talk to people that you’d like to get a job from. Jody emphasized the importance of building one’s tool kit and being willing to learn, trying new things. "Never underestimate yourself," she said, and continued; "Build your competency. Build network of peers and mentors - people who know what you can do. Volunteer for things. Ask successful role models about how they got to where they are. Make it on your own. Learn your likes and dislikes. Don’t give up on yourself. You learn more from giving something a try. Be passionate and persevere." Janet followed with additional advice; "Surround yourself with people who are advocates for YOU. Go ask! What is stopping you? Some people will say, ’you can’t,’ but there are others who will say, ’you can.’ Keep your spirits up. It’s scary and hard, but worth it."
Both women emphasized the importance of mentors and becoming self-aware. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is very important, and there is nothing wrong with asking for help. Solicit honest feedback so you can grow and understand your own strengths and weaknesses. The two were also excited to be a part of the new Artemis Mission to put the first woman on the moon by 2024. In order to be successful in this mission, it takes a team of many people, doing many different things. Jody mentioned that, "there are many ways to get involved, whether you’re from a small town, large town, east coast or west coast."
After the question-and-answer session, Oklahoma Aeronautics Commissioner, Grayson Ardies closed the event by thanking the participants and speakers, Department of Transportation staff, and the Airport Trust. Special thanks went out to Sandra Shelton for the hard work she put into coordinating the event. Grayson said, "We want to sling-shot ourselves into the future, given all of the accomplishments that women have made. We need to persevere, push forward and be proactive." He continued, "We need to encourage young women to join the workforce – to build the next satellite, to push deeper into space than we have before; to take the aviation sector to new heights." Grayson closed the event, hoping to see everyone in-person next year.
Fortunately, for those who were unable to attend the 2020 Women in Aviation and Aerospace Day event, it was recorded, and can be viewed online at: https://vimeo.com/489087113
You can help the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission to further inspire young women by sharing the video link.
