The Future of Aviation Continued from page 51 Elevate II Workshop attendees at Facebook’s Menlo Park campus of Living in the Age of Airplanes and One Six Right, two films that tell aviation’s story in remarkable ways. A CATALYST FOR CHANGE oodheart is an aviation professional with ars of experience in the field. His diverse n in aviation line service and has expanded aviation safety and loss control, training, onal flying. He has worked in and with a aviation organizations, including flight A CALL TO ACTION anizations, business and general aviation and major airlines, and his varied affords him a wide variety of opportunities Aviation Business Journal | 2nd Quarter 2018 If you’re reading this article, chances are good that avia- tion has played a transformational role in your life as well. As an industry that is often misunderstood by regulators, and even by the public, we don’t often share our stories as widely as we should. The mystique that makes aviation so enthralling can also make it seem uninviting, and we’re After a full two days of networking, learning and plan- ning, the Elevate II attendees gathered in a meeting space where they continued telling stories and sharing challenges over dinner. Lori DiMarco, JetBlue Airways’ Director Supply Chain and Materials Operations told her story of working alongside her father growing up, and never know- ing that as a young woman, many careers were considered off limits to her. Nevertheless, when a few of her friends enrolled at Aviation High School in 1975, Lori said she knew it would be a great fit for her as well. What she didn’t know was that the school accepted only male students. With a lot of persistence, Lori went on to graduate as the school’s first female student, and the only woman in her class of 2,700. As she shared the story of her incredible career to an eager audience, it was impossible to ignore that, despite our industry’s challenges, it would be hard to imagine Lori’s experience without aviation at its center. Benjamin J. Goodheart, Ph.D. struggling together with the shortage of new entrants to a field that has provided many of us with so much fulfill- ment. Aviation Community Foundation is taking lessons from other industries and applying them to some of the finest aviation education programs in the country. As Ethan Martin, ACF’s CEO can often be heard saying, “You’ll be blown away when you meet these kids.” It’s true. Not only is aviation as imaginative, awe- inspiring, and transformative an industry as ever, the young people who are discover- ing it as something entirely new, are equally impressive. Investing in ACF, its partner programs, or in any other program you find that ensures we’re providing for avia- tion’s sustainable future, helps to guarantee that those same kids will continue to blow you away as your next employees or partner. Aviation has profoundly changed the way we travel, communicate and do business around the world, and it’s created an incredible diversity of careers with purpose. Sharing the wonder and possibility that aviation enables is not just a lot of fun, it is our legacy. NATA created a Workforce Development Committee to address the pilot and technician shortage issue. If you are interested in participating on this committee, please contact Ellen Miller at [email protected]. Dr. Benjamin Goodheart is the Managing Director of Versant, an international safety and risk manage- ment firm based in Colorado. Benjamin has exten- sive experience in aviation safety management, planning and accident investigation. He is an ATP-rated pilot and flight instructor, and he holds a Ph.D. with a research focus on general aviation safety and organizational performance. To learn more about how Versant can help you manage risk, call 833-VERSANT or visit Versant on the web at versantrisk.com. 53
