WAI2026 On-Demand - 9. All Recordings

Own Your Strengths - The Antidote to Imposter Syndrome and the Secret to High-Performing Teams

The Antidote to Imposter Syndrome and the Secret to High-Performing Teams

Featuring: Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Rebekah Seifer

1h 5m 8s

The Future of Flight is Autonomous - Exploring Careers in Emerging Technology

The sky has no limit and neither does your career. This session explores the expanding world of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), from drone delivery services to community integration. Gain a comprehensive overview of careers in this field and learn more about the skills, certifications, and educational paths needed to succeed.

Whether you are a student pilot seeking a change, or a seasoned aviation professional looking for your next career move, you’ll gain actionable tips to find your place in the next generation of aviation. 

Featuring: Ayisha Malaika Minter (Manager, Flight Training Operations Wing Aviation); Brittney (Miculka) Tough

58m 34s

How to Get Started in the World of Aerobatics

Interested in joining aerobatics but don't know where to start? Come learn all the ins and outs of aerobatics and how to get started no matter your skill level. Flying aerobatics not only opens up a whole different world in aviation, it also tremendously improves one's stick and rudder skills.

Whether you are in college, at the airlines/corporate, or flying for fun our panelists will describe the best way to get familiar with aerobatic maneuvers, sequences, and competition aerobatics. If you already fly aerobatics come learn how to compete at a the Worlds level or become an airshow pilot! 

Featuring: Amelia Anderson, Student Peggy Riedinger, Aerobatic Judge Brittanee Donelle Lincoln, Airshow and Competition Aerobatic Pilot

1h 1m 13s

Airline Pilot Panel

The Airline Pilot Panel is comprised of five female pilots encompassing the regional, major, and cargo carriers. The first half of this education session we will be sharing our own personal aviation journey to the flight deck.

The purpose of our education session is to encourage and inspire other female pilots, as well as help them realize they, too, can achieve the career of their dreams! 

Featuring: Ann Marie Nicholas, Pilot - American Airlines Kelly McConnell Jennifer Meiners, CFI, MEI, ATP, First Officer Southwest Krissie Katte, United Airlines 787 Captain Kally Hansen, First Officer at Endeavor Air

1h 1m 6s

Empowering Your Inner Gatekeeper - Overcoming External Opinions to Achieve Personal Success

Ever struggle with criticism or self-doubt? In this empowering session, Sharon Preszler—the first woman to fly the F-16 during politically tumultuous times when debates over women in combat reshaped U.S. law —shares how she overcame judgment by developing a “mental gatekeeper” to filter feedback and protect her confidence. Sharon blends her experience as a fighter pilot, Southwest Captain, certified life coach and psychology professor into powerful stories, practical tools, and interactive exercises.

You’ll build your own gatekeeper so you can rise above criticism, own your worth, and stay focused on your goals in aviation and life. 

Featuring: Sharon Preszler (737 Captain at Southwest Airlines F-16 Instructor Pilot)

49m 59s

WCA's Corporate Aviation Career Panel

Join us for an engaging and interactive discussion that brings together professionals from across the business aviation industry. This moderated panel will explore the unique career journeys of each panelist, offering candid insights into their day-to-day roles, quality of life, and work-life balance.

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of job satisfaction in the field, the pros and cons of working in business aviation, and the pivotal mentors and colleagues who influenced their paths. Designed to spark meaningful dialogue, this session will include audience participation throughout and conclude with an open Q&A and a brief overview of helpful industry resources. 

Featuring Kim Kissh, Gulfstream G600 pilot Jodie Adrian Gawthrop, A&P; IA; Commercial Pilot ASEL, AMEL; AGI; IGI Melanie Elyse Hight, Chief Pilot and Director of Safety at OpenAir, Kara Wolf, MSP Sales Manager at Honeywell Aerospace

1h 4m 3s

Beyond the Horizon - Aviation Outreach with Real Altitude

Discover how one flight or airport tour can change a life. Join Carley Walker, Director of Development at STEM Flights, to learn how you can inspire the next generation through aviation mentorship. This session offers practical tools, real-world stories, and a free Mentorship Toolkit to help you connect with students, whether in the cockpit, classroom, or hangar. No matter your role in aviation, you’ll leave empowered to turn your passion into purpose.

Learn how to mentor with impact, expand girls in STEM, and join a national movement making aviation more accessible one flight at a time. 

Featuring: Carley Walker (Director of Development at STEM Flights)

38m 37s

Navigating New Heights - Women, Leadership and AI

In today's rapidly evolving landscape, the intersection of leadership, artificial intelligence (AI), and the impact on women in leadership roles is more crucial than ever. This talk will delve into how modern leadership within aviation is being reshaped by innovative technologies while emphasizing the necessity of maintaining a human-centric approach in the age of AI.

Women, with their innate ability to prioritize empathy and collaboration, are well-suited to leverage these advancements to enhance their roles and the work of their teams, ensuring that technology serves people rather than the other way around. 

Featuring: Nancy Coleman (Dean, Harvard Extension School and Continuing Studies)

1h 1m 51s

Navigating Challenges in the Aviation Industry

"Navigating Challenges in the Aviation Industry" provides aviation professionals with a comprehensive overview of key challenges faced by the industry. Leadership in aviation doesn't just fly planes—it's the entire airport ecosystem. Today, our world moves at jet speed. Airports are global villages, trains run driverless, and drones deliver packages to our doorsteps. Leadership now? It’s far more complex—and far more human.

We will explore how leadership styles in transportation and aviation have evolved—from the rigid commanding military style through the collaborative adaptive structure of today and where we are going with the tech styles. 

Featuring: Dr. Janette McMurtrie, Psy.D. Clinical Psychologist, Aviation Specialist, Captain (Ret.), Former Chief Pilot, Check Airman, Business Consultant

54m 33s

Fighter Pilot Forum

What does it take to fly the fastest, most advanced and most lethal aircraft ever built? This is the chance to find out from the women who fly them. This session will examine how to become a fighter pilot - the flying skills, the mind set, and the personal characteristics required.

We will discuss types of advanced training and the different fighter missions with pilots from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. You will be inspired by true stories of flying in combat and learn what it takes to fly the most high performance aircraft in the world. 

Featuring: Col. Julie Tizard , ATP/USAF Pilot Sharon Preszler (737 Captain at Southwest Airlines F-16 Instructor Pilot) Cathyrine Armandie Melanie Kluesner

1h 8m 18s

Allyship in Action - Moving from Awareness to Impact

In today's interconnected world, effective allyship goes beyond good intentions to create meaningful change. This presentation introduces a practical approach to transforming passive support into active engagement. Through evidence-based strategies and real-world examples, participants will learn how to develop authentic allyship skills, including managing implicit bias, amplifying marginalized voices, and creating sustainable support structures. Moving beyond performative gestures, we'll explore how meaningful allyship drives innovation and builds inclusive environments in both professional and personal contexts.

Attendees will leave with actionable tools for implementing effective ally practices. 

Featuring: Alison Faddis (Director, Aviation Operations for Amazon Global Air)

1h 2m 37s

Designing for Manufacturability in Aerospace - Enabling Scalable, Safe Production from Day One

As aerospace programs demand faster builds and fewer late-stage changes, manufacturability must be addressed early in design. This session presents proven methods for integrating Design for Manufacturability (DFM) into engineering workflows, reducing rework, improving tooling and inspection outcomes, and enabling scalable production. Studies show that up to 85 percent of manufacturing costs are fixed during preliminary design, yet change orders remain common.

Drawing from real-world aerospace examples, we explore practical approaches to embedding DFM at the concept stage to boost first-pass yield, support automation, and minimize risk, delivering reliable, certifiable systems with fewer surprises throughout development.

Featuring: Divya Manivannan (Structural and Payloads Design Engineer)

59m 27s

Hazard Alert! Avoid Potentially Severe Injuries or Fatalities While Working with Commercial Aircraft

Exposure and understanding of high hazards that crews are exposed to in the commercial aircraft mfg work place. A briefing of each hazard category, with photos (eg. heights, hazardous energy, chemicals, noise), accompanied by technical dialogue focused on origin, consequence, identification, containment, mitigation, elimination.

Featuring: Carolyn Birdsong (Operations Director for 777-9/-8F Build Integration and Airplane & Product Development) Roseanne Livingston, Chief of Staff Katie Marsch, EHS Senior Manager

1h 2m 57s

Invisible Battles - Confronting Aviator Cancer and Transforming the Future of Flight Health

Join retired fighter aircrew and breast cancer survivor Colonel Shelly Mendieta, USAF (retired), for a powerful session on the hidden crisis of cancer among military aircrew. As Communications Team Lead for the Military Aviator Coalition for Health (MACH), Shelly will share insights from the passage of the ACES Act and the ongoing fight to pass the ROTOR Act.

Learn how aviators and families are transforming their lived experiences into legislative victories—and how you can support safer skies, healthier crews, and a stronger aviation future for all. 

Featuring: Colonel Shelly Mendieta (Ret.)

44m 31s