FAA Establishes Women in Aviation Advisory Board

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announcedthat the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established the Women inAviation Advisory Board.

The FAA is accepting nominations for qualified candidates toserve on the Women in Aviation Advisory Board at the Federal Register throughOctober 29, 2019. The objective of the board is to provide independent adviceand recommendations to the FAA in supporting women’s involvement in theaviation field.

“We must find ways to inspire women and young people toenter the aviation profession,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “We needpilots, mechanics, engineers and many other professionals to enter the aviationprofession pipeline, and I look forward to working with the secretary to boostthe number of aviation professionals and keep our nation’s aviation industrystrong and vital.”

The work of the board will focus on analyzing industrytrends; coordinating efforts among airlines, nonprofit organizations, andaviation and engineering associations to facilitate support for women pursuingaviation careers; expanding scholarship opportunities; and enhancing training,mentorship, education and outreach programs for women interested in aviationcareers.

The Department of Transportation and the Federal AviationAdministration are committed to working with industry, academia and governmentto find ways to address the shortage of female professionals entering aviationcareers by recruiting women through this committee and providing them withclear pathways to aviation careers.

“Our nation is facing a shortage of pilots and aviationprofessionals; there are great opportunities in this sector, and we want toencourage more women to enter these exciting professions,” said U.S. Secretaryof Transportation Elaine L. Chao.

The FAA is also accepting qualified nominations to the YouthAccess to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force, which was established todevelop and recommend initiatives to the FAA for encouraging high school studentsto enter aviation careers. Nominations may be submitted through October 30,2019.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 required the FAAAdministrator to establish and facilitate a Women in Aviation Advisory Boardand the Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force.