MIAT College of Technology Sponsors Women in Aviation International Virtual Events March 11-13: Virtual Exhibit Hall Participant, Pioneer Hall of Fame Virtual Ceremony and Girls In Aviation Day

CANTON, Mich., and HOUSTON, Texas (March 10, 2021) – MIAT College of Technology is sponsoring the Pioneer Hall of Fame Ceremony from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. EST on March 12 as part of the 2021 Women in Aviation International Virtual Conference.  The Women in Aviation International Virtual Conference, which will be held March 11 and March 12, includes a virtual exhibit hall, educational sessions, professional development sessions, student forums, and receptions.

MIAT College of Technology is also serving as a Woman in Aviation International Virtual Conference  exhibitor March 11 and March 12 and as a supporter of the free Women in Aviation International’s Girls in Aviation Day Reno virtual event on March 13. The Girls in Aviation Day Reno virtual event targets girls and boys ages 8 to 17. The Girls in Aviation Day Reno event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon PST, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST, and noon to 2 p.m. EST with female leaders of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli as special guests. MIAT female aviation maintenance instructors contributed video messages of encouragement to young people who will participate in Girls in Aviation Day Reno on March 13.

The Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame was established in 1992 to honor women who have made significant contributions as record setters, pioneers, or innovators. The 2021 Pioneer Hall of Fame inductees include:

• Joan Robinson-Berry, who recently retired as vice president and chief engineer for Boeing Global Services. She was the first African American from her childhood neighborhood to graduate from college with an engineering degree. She was the first female engineering graduate at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and the first African American program manager at McDonnell Douglas. She was the first African American on the Boeing Engineering Process Council, the first Boeing Fellow to the African Scientific Institute, and the first African American vice president on the Shared Services Leadership Team. 
• Maj. Gen. Carol Timmons (retired), who was the first woman to lead the Delaware National Guard and was the Adjutant General from 2017 to 2019. She was responsible for the mission readiness of all Delaware National Guard units to include more than 1,500 soldiers and 1,100 airmen for both federal and state missions. She began her military career as an enlisted member of the Delaware Air National Guard and was the first female air police officer for the 166th Airlift Wing. She later transferred to the Army National Guard and earned her commission in 1980, followed by her Army and Air Force pilot wings. Maj. Gen. Timmons accrued more than 5,200 flight hours in C-130 and C-141 military cargo aircraft and the UH-1 Huey helicopter, including more than 400 combat flight hours. She died at age 62 on August 2, 2020.
• U.S. Marine Corps’ First Class of Women Aviators, which is a group of 10 trailblazers who represent the first women to go through pilot and naval flight officer training in the U.S. Marine Corps. Marine women were allowed to fly in 1993 after the repeal of the combat exclusion law. These 10 women served the nation with pride and determination during multiple deployments in both active and reserve assignments.  These pioneering women include: Lt. Col. Sarah Deal, Lt. Col. Traci “Powder” Hoffman, Susan “Xena” Jenkins, Maj. Melinda “Tink” Rizer Gould, Col.  Alison “Rocky” Thompson, Donna “Gidget” Hesterman, Col. Karen Fuller “Stump” Brannen, Jeanne “Xena” Woodfin, Keri “NAG” Berman, and Christine “Mulan” Westrich.

Jennifer Paugh, MIAT College of Technology Canton campus president, and John Willis, MIAT College of Technology Houston campus president, are leading major initiatives to attract more girls and women in aviation and other traditionally male-dominated industry sectors.  MIAT offers FAA-sanctioned certificate and associates degree p FAA-sanctioned aviation maintenance technology as well as Welding, HVACR, Non-Destructive Testing, Energy Technology, and Robotics and Automation.  MIAT student enrollment is about 700 at the Canton campus and about 600 at the Houston campus.

Please visit www.wai.org/conference, https://www.wai.org/GIADWAI2021, and www.miat.edu for more information.

For more information about MIAT College of Technology, please visit www.miat.edu or call the Canton campus at 800-447-1310 or the Houston campus at 888-547-7047. Tours at each campus are welcome and available by appointment.

BESbswyBESbswy

MIAT is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).