Peggy Chabrian, who founded and steered Women In Aviation International (WAI) into an organization that has 14,000 members and has facilitated the award of $12.5 million in scholarships, is planning to retire as president and CEO in April 2020.
Chabrian announced her impending departure during the WAI Connect Breakfast at EAA AirVenture this week, saying, “The organization is in an excellent place with record accomplishments in all areas including membership numbers, scholarship awards, and a solid financial position. It has been a pleasure to have established the WAI annual conferences 30 years ago, to create the organization 25 years ago, and to serve as its president since its inception in 1994.”
With a vision of gathering women in the industry, Chabrian first held the WAI conference in 1990 in Prescott, Arizona. That gathering led to the formation of the formal organization that this year marked the record membership. Its membership spans the gamut of the industry, from pilots and astronauts to maintenance technicians, airport technicians, and flight attendants, among many others.
The conference, meanwhile, this year celebrated its 30th anniversary in Long Beach, California with 4,500 attendees and 174 exhibitors. During the event, $948,000 in scholarships were awarded.
“My commitment is to engage in continued fundraising and public relations for WAI…up through April 2020 and to ensure a smooth transition once a new individual has been hired,” Chabrian said. Next year’s conference will be held March 5-7, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
WAI plans to retain an executive search firm for the next leader.
WAI chairman Marci Veronie called Chabrian “a trailblazing pioneer and an industry leader” and said, “On behalf of the WAI board of directors and staff, we offer a huge collective thank you for all that Peggy has accomplished for women in aviation pursuing a wide range of career pursuits and for providing the year-round resources to foster each member’s dream of finding her or his right path in this ever-expanding industry.”
“For 30 years, Dr. Chabrian has been a source of inspiration to women in aviation, and a tireless advocate for educational initiatives and other resources to ensure their success and career growth in the industry,” added NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.
Noting Chabrian’s influence on her own career, NBAA v-p, educational strategy and workforce development Jo Damato, further said, “She has touched countless lives throughout the aviation community, and has directly influenced the paths of so many of our industry’s female leaders today. Dr. Chabrian created a place for ‘women who liked to talk about airplanes,’ and I’ve looked to her as a role model since the day I first heard her speak.”
