Col. Julie Tizard (USAF Ret.)

Col. Julie Tizard had been a professional pilot for over 40 years. She is a founder and past President of the Women Military Aviators, the largest group of women military pilots in the world. One of the earliest women Air Force pilots, Julie flew as a T-37 Instructor Pilot and an Aircraft Commander on the KC-10 air refueling tanker. She served in leadership positions as a Flight Commander, Chief of Flight Safety, USAF Aircraft Accident Investigator, and Squadron Commander. She was the founding commander of the first Air Force Reserve pilot training squadron, the 96th Flying Training Squadron. After the 9/11 attack, she served at the Pentagon in the Air Force Crisis Action Center.

In addition to 25 years of military service, Julie flew as a Captain for United Airlines for 30 years. She was a Line Check Airman on the Boeing 737 fleet for nine years where she gave initial operating experience to new Captains and new hire First Officers with a 100% successful completion rate. Julie served on the Central Air Safety Committee during the development of new quick reaction checklists and she flew the 757, 767, DC-10, and the Airbus 320.

Julie has been a part of Women in Aviation International since the beginning and she has created numerous educational sessions for the annual conferences. She is also a multi-award-winning author of aviation-themed adventure novels and she currently flies a military training aircraft, the T-67 “Firefly.”