Washington, D.C. -On Thursday, October 22, 2015, industry and government leaders, volunteers, and the media will gather to honor Women in Aerospace’s 30th year Anniversary at their Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner. This prestigious industry dinner will have the largest attendance in history as WIA celebrates 30 years of major achievements and looks ahead to a future filled with significant opportunity and success.

Thirty years ago, WIA’s founders set forth the mission for WIA: expanding women’s opportunities for leadership and increasing their visibility in the aerospace community. The organization was established to be a leading professional organization for both men and women in support of WIA’s mission, by providing programs and professional development opportunities.

Today, this mission remains at the core of WIA’s success as WIA has grown to over 2000 members, representing 250 companies and including more than 70 corporate members. At WIA’s upcoming Annual Awards Dinner, WIA will honor their past leadership and past accomplishments which have led WIA to the incredibly successful organization it is today.

WIA’s Annual Awards Dinner and Ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 22, 2015 at the Ritz Carlton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA.

The WIA Awards celebrate women’s professional excellence in aerospace, annually recognizing female leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the aerospace community. WIA is proud to recognize eight distinguished women for their contributions to the aerospace industry and to the advancement of women in the field.

WIA is honored to have five esteemed presenters for this year’s Annual Awards:

The Honorable Lisa Disbrow, Acting Under Secretary of the Air Force, U.S. Air Force; Dr. Dava Newman, Deputy Administrator, NASA; Ms. Deirdre Walsh, Director of Legislative Affairs, Office of the Director of National Intelligence; William H. Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, NASA; and Ms. Lori Garver, General Manager, Air Line Pilots Association International and former Deputy Administrator for NASA

The 2015 recipients are:

AEROSPACE AWARENESS AWARD: Cynthia Hugh Sam, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Fort Worth, TX, for the development of the National Code Quest Competition. She volunteers her time and expertise to showcase exemplary initiatives designed to make learning engaging for students.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Elizabeth Lund, The Boeing Company, Everett, WA, for her contributions to the Boeing 777 Program that advanced manufacturing processes, improved build time, and enhanced first-time quality.

AEROSPACE EDUCATOR AWARD: Dr. Penina Axelrad, The University of Colorado Boulder for her work as an instrumental leader in the development of hands-on curricula in the aerospace engineering program at the University of Colorado, as well as her devotion to mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, particularly women and underrepresented groups.

INITIATIVE, INSPIRATION, IMPACT AWARD: Margaret Viola, The Spaceship Company, LLC, Mojave, CA, for her initiative to create a development opportunity for aspiring pilots as well as taking the lead as program manager for the TSC simulators to ensure full mission-ready simulation training.

LEADERSHIP AWARD: Dr. Lisa Hardaway, Ball Aerospace, Boulder, CO, for her outstanding leadership and dedication to space exploration and for guiding, supporting, and mentoring female engineers throughout her career.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Sandra Coleman, Orbital ATK, Arlington, VA, for sustained, superior leadership and mentorship on U.S. human spaceflight systems from Apollo to Space Shuttle to Space Launch System in both government and industry.

WIA 30th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE AWARD: Carla Thomas, NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Arcata Associates, Edwards, CA, for her outstanding photographic skills and for acting as a role model for girls and young women in aerospace.

WIA 30th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE AWARD: Kathleen Fredette, iLEAD Schools, Palmdale, CA, for her exceptional ability to impact girls and young women’s lives as they catch a spark, ignite their learning, and decide to stay in school.

In addition, the WIA Foundation will award scholarships to Amanda Martin, a senior studying professional aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Maggie Thompson, a senior studying astrophysics at Princeton University; and Rose Weinstein, a senior studying aerospace engineering at the University of Maryland-College Park. Scholarships will be applied to the 2015-2016 academic year.

Women in Aerospace (WIA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding women’s opportunities for leadership and to increasing their visibility within the aerospace community. To learn more about WIA, visit:www.womeninaerospace.org.

To be added to the waitlist to attend the event, individuals should send an email to: info@womeninaerospace.org or 202-547-0229 for more information.

For more information, visit the WIA website at womeninaerospace.org
or call our Headquarters at (202) 547-0229.