By Nicola Nì Rìada
IFATCA Communications CoordinatorThe UN theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”. There are several inspirational female ATCOs around the world doing just that! Introducing Canadian ATCO, and CATCA Member, Kendra Kincade. Kendra is the founder of Elevate Aviation, a not-for-profit organization that supports education and opportunities for women in aviation.
Founded in 2015 after recognizing a glaring gender disparity within the aviation industry, their mission is to provide a platform for women and underrepresented groups to thrive and succeed through careers in aviation. Nearly ten years later, Kendra is seen as one of the most vocal proponents of recruiting more women into the aviation industry. Elevate Aviation provides aviation career support to individuals while working alongside industry professionals to promote workplace equity, diversity and inclusion.
Kendra’s journey began with a challenging early life, which ultimately drove her towards a commitment to helping others in their pursuit of self-discovery and success. She is also the director, writer, and executive producer for “Only Up”, a feature-length documentary following women in various aviation careers. It explores questions like: “Why are there so few women in aviation?” and “What drives the gender gap in other key aviation fields, including air traffic control (ATC), aircraft engineering, maintenance, air racing, and search & rescue?”
The documentary movie has two main goals. One is to showcase women in the aviation sector and simultaneously make aviation appealing to both women and young people going forward. This is important in our sector, which is experiencing a global talent shortage! There are six segments, each featuring different women in diverse aviation careers. The passion evident in all the aviation professionals is inspiring—much like Kendra! The message is clear—there is progress when we invest in women.