ISA+21 Board of Directors General Elections
2022-2024

For the 2022-2024 term, there are five board positions which will need to be filled.  Please take a moment to learn a little about the ladies who have volunteered to step up and represent you by reading the following bios.  Three current ISA+21 Board Members are re-running and six ISA+21 members have accepted their nominations for a total of nine members running.  
Please vote for up to five members.

General Elections are open from August 29th – September 15th, 2022

 

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Maggie Eickhoff
ISA+21 Events Director

Maggie has served on the ISA+21 Board of Directors since May of 2020 as Events Director.  She is currently a Delta 757/767 First Officer and has served as the Membership Chair for Delta ALPA for 3 years.  She also sits on the Board of the Delta Pilots Charitable Fund and volunteers for the ALPA Government Affairs Committee.  In her free time she enjoys golfing and traveling with her husband, taking care of dozens of plants, and sitting on the back porch with her two cats.

Kyoko Kimura
ISA+21 Treasurer

I have served on the ISA+21 Board of Directors as the Treasurer since 2019. I am asking for your support in my bid for another term.

Growing up in Japan, I had a dream of becoming an airline pilot. Those dreams were crushed when I discovered that both Japanese airlines had a policy of hiring only male pilots. Even becoming a flight attendant was beyond my reach as I was 1/2-inch too short. I decided on a different path and moved to the US in 1992 to pursue my academic goal. After earning a Masters degree in Intercultural Relations from Lesley College in Cambridge, MA, I spent a few years working in Education field but all the while, my desire to fly continued to grow.

In 1998, I was hired by American Airlines as a flight attendant. On my trips, I met several female pilots who encouraged me to pursue my goal of becoming a pilot. With their inspiration, I started taking flight lessons. Soon after, I secured an internship position at American Flyers at MacArthur Airport in Islip, NY while continuing to work as a flight attendant. After two and a half years of flight instructing at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY, I was hired for my first airline pilot job at American Eagle Airlines in 2004. There, I flew Embrear 145 for 7 years as a First Officer and 3 years as a Captain. In 2011, I was awarded a scholarship through Women in Aviation for a Boeing 737 type rating from Delta Air Lines. I completed the B737 type rating training the following year and was hired by Delta in 2014. I flew the B737 for 2 years, the B757/767 for 6 years, and currently fly the Airbus 330 throughout Asia and Europe.

I’ve been an ISA member since 2012, working as a volunteer at the ISA booth for Women in Aviation conferences as well as an interviewer for the ISA+21 737/A320 scholarship program. I love the friendship and camaraderie we share at ISA+21 and hope to give back to the group by sharing my experience and knowledge as a member of the Board of Directors.

I live in Henderson, NV with my husband, Vince, who is a pilot for Spirit Airlines.

I would be honored to have your support in my run for a second term as a Board of Director.

Natasha Shcheglova
ISA+21 Scholarship Director

As a little girl, my first flight was on a TU-154 in 1980 from my hometown of Magadan to Moscow.   Although I fell in love with flying, I knew I could have never achieved my goal of becoming an airline pilot in the Soviet Union.  I am forever grateful that my mother immigrated us to the United States where I discovered that girls CAN and DO become pilots!

When I arrived in the USA as a teenager, I did not speak English and had the responsibility of taking care of my seriously ill mother.  Life was extremely difficult.  I overloaded on ESL classes in high school and worked three jobs to take care of my mother.  I received an academic scholarship to University of Washington and followed a pre-med path until I met someone who claimed that he was going to become an airline pilot. That peaked my interest in general aviation and, with my mentor’s gift of discovery flight, reignited the “sleeping flying bug” of my childhood.

I transferred to Embry-Riddle to pursue a degree in aviation and after graduating, flight instructed to build time.  In 1999, I was hired at American Eagle Airlines and flew the ATR-72 in the Caribbean islands chain before transferring to the E-145 for the next fifteen years.  In 2016, I finally reached my dream of becoming a First Officer for American Airlines, where I currently fly the A320 out of DFW.

I have been an ISA+21 member since 2013, have been assisting with the scholarship program since 2018 and have served as a Scholarship Director since 2020. During the last two years, I have helped establish the Francesca Norris Memorial Scholarship, created opportunities for co-sponsoring scholarships with flight schools and airlines, established working relationships with universities and colleges with flight training programs, updated the scholarship application package and selection process and created scholarship selection committees. This year we are working on creating a unique fundraiser for the Francesca Norris Memorial Scholarship and we are hoping to expand this type of fundraiser to our scholarship program as a whole. My plans for ISA+21 Scholarship program include expansion of donor base through co-sponsoring scholarships with universities, airlines, and other aviation organizations, raising more funds for our scholarship program and awarding more scholarships. Through our scholarship program ISA+21 is changing the lives of women around the world and propelling them into the major airlines’ flight decks. I pledge to continue working tirelessly to assist as many women as I can to achieve their dreams of becoming airline pilots.

Priya Doobaree

Born in Botswana, I am a citizen of Mauritius, a former British colony in the Indian Ocean. My aviation career began in the Air Mauritius cadet pilot programme in 1998.

Aged 19, I trained as an abinitio in France EPAG/IAAG. My first assignment was piloting the ATR42/72 for Air Mauritius; I then progressed to flying as a First Officer on the Airbus 330/340.

Even as a junior pilot, I possessed a keen interest in the Human Factors domain leading me to join the CRM/Human Factors team. My desire to expand my horizons led me to relocate to Singapore where I worked for Jetstar Asia, a subsidiary of Qantas. I received my Command on the Airbus 320 in 2012.

Concurrently, I also opted to resume my university studies, which had been interrupted by myselection into the Air Mauritius cadet programme. While juggling the demands of being anaviator, I completed my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Murdoch University. Subsequently I completed my Masters in Organisational Psychology from Birkbeck College, University of London.

One of my favorite modules was on Safety and Accident Investigation, which I found very relevant to my role at work. Last year EAAP accredited me as an Aviation Psychologist on account of my academic qualifications and volunteer work. During the pandemic, I helped setup and oversee a peer-support program for my pilot union.

I returned to Air Mauritius where I am now a Captain on the A330. During my 2 years of COVID furlough, I completed a diploma in coaching and an MBA in International Business with the Sorbonne Business School. This enabled me to work on my business and leadership skills as well as establishing a coaching business.

My interest in mentoring younger pilots and improving pilot mental health, has led me to volunteer at Resilient Pilot as a mentor/coach and CBTI. I recently graduated from the 99sPPLI program and have enjoyed sharing experiences and learning from the other femalepilots. I feel that the power of community and mentoring is one of the most powerful methodsof encouraging more female pilots to join commercial aviation.

In January 2022, I was recruited to join IFALPA’s technical and standards team in a permanent role as Technical Officer and representative to ICAO.

 

McKenzie Emerenciana

Hello! My name is McKenzie Emerenciana and I am incredibly honored to be running for a Board of Directors position for ISA+21.

When I was 16 I stumbled into the world of aviation. I earned my Private Pilots license on my 18th birthday and then continued on to school at Florida Institute of Technology. Here I earned a scholarship to play softball for the Panthers while getting my degree in Aviation Management with Flight and a Minor in UAS. During school I participated in 2 Womens Air Race Classics, WAI, and the 99s. I flight instructed for FIT before making my way to SkyWest Airlines where I flew the CRJ based out of ORD. I have since been hired at Delta Air Lines where I am currently a First Officer on the 737 based in NYC.

Getting more women and young girls involved in the industry has been a passion of mine. As a female in sports I was always a competitor and initially thought I was somehow in a competition with other females in the industry since there were so few of us. I very quickly realized that was not the case and have since realized I am here to help others and reach an arm out to help pull them up with me. We cannot achieve our mission without the mindset of lending a hand to those behind us. I quickly got involved in mentorship wherever possible. I participated with the 99s PPLI formal mentor program and continue to help serve on the coordination team. I am also a mentor for a start up organization called Project Aviator. Whenever meeting young ladies, CFIs, or other female regional pilots I will be the first to offer help, advice, or my contact information to help whenever I can. 

I have been a member of ISA for about 3 years and have loved every minute of it. Since discovering ISA+21 at a Women In Aviation conference I have become passionate about being involved in this organization whenever I can. It is a truly unique place designed just for us and I have taken great pride in sharing information about the group whenever and wherever possible. As a Board member I would love to continue to help grow this organization and its membership. I hope to continue the legacy and honor those who came before me and continue paving the way for those behind me.

Chrissy Lindorff

G’Day! My name is Chrissy and am honored to be in the running and appreciate you taking the time out to have a look at my bio!

I was born and raised in Australia and now am living on a ranch in Montana with my fiancé Mark and Brittany Spaniel puppy Roo.

My aviation journey started out after my late father Neil passed away from Pancreatic cancer December 2008. He was a Test Pilot for the Australian Airforce and went to Empire Test Pilot School, then Qantas. His success and career has been my inspiration and driven me to get to where I am today. He always told me I could be anything I wanted to be, as long as I put my mind to it. 

After highschool I studied I.T. and landed a role at a private hospital writing code for a cardiovascular program. When my Father died I wanted to feel closer to him so I booked a trial flight. When we took off, I immediately knew becoming a pilot had to be my future. I worked multiple jobs at a time, (hospitality, A320/21 cabin crew, Aviator Magazine writer, etc) and funded my aviation career. I was awarded a scholarship through the ‘Australian Women in Aviation program’ which helped me get my PPL. From here I flew multiple trips around Australia, around 2 weeks at a time, exploring the outback and remote places to build up hours and experience until I got accepted into my Aviation Degree where I completed my CPL and Bachelor in Aviation.

My first job was in Central Australia- Ayers Rock, as the Deputy Chief Pilot for a small scenic/charter company. After 4 years, I moved to New Zealand for a similar role. A year later I found SkyWest as my next venture and landed in the USA, June 2018. I was on the ERJ-175 and upgraded to Captain in 2021. 

After attending the ISA+21 conference in Atlanta last year and meeting the hiring team, it led me to getting my new job with United as a First Officer on the 737!

One of my side hobbies is home construction. I run a little side business in Montana renovating houses and rebuilding decks, doing all the construction by myself. I love hunting and fishing and exploring the world.

Having received a female pilot scholarship as a struggling young girl, then getting my dream job at United as a result of attending an ISA+21 event, I hold these organizations close to my heart and know how lifechanging a little help can be. I would love the opportunity to pay it forward!

Kalina Milani

I was born in tropical Recife, Brazil, 8 degrees south of the Equator.  I joined VARIG Airlines as ground staff and then as cabin crew.  In 1986 I learned that VASP, an airline in Brazil, had accepted their first lady pilot.  This gave me so much hope!  In 1990 I was ready when VARIG’s management finally became ‘women-friendly’ for the first time in 63 years.

I attended Varig’s flight academy and became an operational pilot on their B737-300/400/500s and the B777-200s.

In 1998, my fellow lady pilot friends and I formed the Aviadoras (Aviatrixes) group in Brazil. In 2006 I started with Emirates Airlines in Dubai, UAE, and became their first lady senior First Officer and later, first lady Captain.

 

In 2016 I moved to America and settled in Lake Sinclair, Central Georgia, with my retired U.S. Army Aviator husband. Lake Sinclair is home to the Baldwin County Regional Airport, KMLJ, where I have become more active in general aviation and became a member of the airport’s advisory committee. Additionally, I have been helping to grow Aviadoras, and have gotten more involved in ISA through their annual Conferences and airshow get-togethers. I look forward to attending ISA’s Dublin Conference in September!

Farah Khan Pethe

Hi, I am Captain Farah Khan Pethe.

My journey as a commercial airline pilot started more than 24 years ago. 

With a zest to help people, I took Electronics as a specialty subject in my junior college, as I aspired to become an Engineer to develop machines that would help especially women in house-chores. Irrespective of which gender does this, the house work never seems to stop. 

Thus in Grade 12 as I was researching for the Engineering colleges, my father told me about flying. He asked me whether I would like to be a pilot. Without a blink I said ‘Yes’ and then began my journey to becoming a pilot.

I joined the erstwhile Jet Airways India Private Limited in 1998 and continued to work for this prestigious airline as a Check Pilot until its unfortunate close of operations in 2019. I have kept my licenses active as I prepare to resume flying as Jet Airways has resurrected itself under a new board.

My journey flying the Boeing 737 fleet, which includes 400/500/700/800/900/ER/Max series, took me to many destinations locally and globally, landing on critical airfields and facing, aceing and learning through the many challenges. Flying gave me the opportunity to know about the cultures of the world and meet so many diverse people, who enriched my life experience.

Every award I received, including ‘Outstanding Women Achievers’, ‘Most Admired Global Indian’, ‘Women Leadership’, and ‘Star 2021’ has humbled me. I feel revered to have received the prestigious plaque of Captain’s Club from ISA. I am also an honorary board member of the training school MH cockpit, mentoring young girls to achieve their dream of becoming a pilot.

Continuing with my goal to help people, in 2019, I started my own life coaching program for airline pilots and cabin-crew, with focus on stress management leading to better quality of life.

After requests and encouragement from both young and old, I published my autobiography, “Conquering the Blue Skies- My Journey of Becoming a Pilot”.

Becoming a Board member of the prestigious ISA will provide me a unique opportunity to contribute further and share my experiences to this beautiful field of flying.

As I close, here is my PA for you: 

“Hope you had a pleasant experience reading my adventurous journey above. Wishing you all the best in life”.

Maria Rinaldi

I was born in Southern California and raised by two airline pilots in Minnesota, my hands on flying experience came from flying with my dad in our little Musketeer. I enjoyed flying but chose not to pursue it professionally. Instead I earned a BA in Art Education from South Dakota State University. My dream was to teach internationally and lived and worked abroad in Spain and Vietnam. I loved teaching but the flying bug kept tugging at my heart! At 25 I had a quarter-life crisis and “retired” from teaching to pursue a career in aviation. In 2014 I moved back to the US and began  flight training in Minnesota and moved to Arizona where I completed my ratings and built my flight time as a flight instructor and check pilot. 

In 2017 I was hired as a Cadet for SkyWest Airlines and in 2018 began ground school on the Embraer 175.  In 2022 I was one of the recipients of the ISA+21 B737 and A320 Type Rating Scholarship and shortly after was hired by American Airlines and it has been a dream come true. I am currently flying the B737 and next year will begin training on the A320 with the goal to fly with my Dad. 

I discovered ISA+21 through a dear friend and fellow ISA Sister and love the community here. I have met so many incredible and inspiring women and am so thankful for those relationships and opportunities ISA has brought me. In my free time I enjoy mentoring younger female pilots who are pursuing the career professionally, volunteering for ISA, Women in Aviation and also various community events to inspire more girls to fly!

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