Category: News

“We didn’t know that we were the first women fighter pilots. I went flying because I wanted to fly, not to prove anything to anybody, for any reason. It was just an exciting opportunity.” Dee Brasseur will receive the Pioneer Award at the Elsie MacGill Northern Lights Award Gala on Saturday.  Read the full article from the Ottawa Citizen.

June 1, 2017, Toronto, Ontario – The Northern Lights Aero Foundation board members are pleased to announce the 8 recipients of the 2017 aviation and aerospace awards.

Each year the not-for-profit foundation honours outstanding women who have made a significant contribution in their field and who continue to lay the groundwork to attract other women to enter or excel in these industries.

The foundation’s Award Program called the “Elsie” is named after aviation pioneer and human rights advocate Elsie Gregory MacGill, the world’s first female aircraft designer, MacGill graduated from the University of Toronto’s electrical engineering program in 1927 and later became pivotal in the design and production of the Hawker Hurricane in Canada during the Second World War. During her career, MacGill was appointed to the Canadian Royal Commission on the Status of Women and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

“Elsie was a woman who was not very well known yet made significant contributions toward the advancement of women in Canada” says Joy Parker Blackwood, President of the Northern Lights Aero Foundation. “Our goal is to bring more recognition for her and all the women doing great work in aviation and aerospace in Canada. They are all awe-inspiring role models for our youth!”

 The 2017 recipients are:

Pioneer Award – Major (retired) Dee Brasseur, one of the first 2 female fighter pilots in Canada, flying the F18 Hornet, with 21 years of distinguished service and 2500 hours of flying jets.

Flight Operations Award – Heather McGonigal, worked at Transwest Air’s Director of Flight Operations, a Training Captain and a Saab 340 line pilot. A Director for four years at the Air Transportation Association of Canada, she became Chair last year. Currently she is working at Keewatin Air as their DFO.

Government Award – Colonel (WSE) Helen Wright CD. MD. A Medical Officer with the Forces, she is one the preeminent aircraft accident investigators with specialized knowledge in Human Factors analysis. She also led a team of aerospace medicine specialists, responsible for the oversight of the aircrew medical fitness of the RCAF. Helen is currently deployed on a one year mission to Baghdad.

Business Award – Heather Bell recently retired as the General Manager of the Vancouver FIR, Flight Information Region (Nav Canada). She has had a 33 year career in Navigation Services. During that time she received both the Chairman’s and the President’s Award.

Education Award – Joan Williams has more than 30 years in commercial aviation and flight training. She was the Flight Training Manager for Toronto Airways Ltd. for 10 years and then became the Director of Business Development. She is a long time member and Director of the Air Transportation Association of Canada and recently received their Lifetime Achievement Award. Joan has been a mentor and role model for many career pilots flying today.

Engineering Award – Catherine Tsouvaltsidis graduated from space engineering. Currently working Infrastructure Technology Solutions (ITS) for TD Bank, Catherine spent 6 years working in the Canadian Space Sector. There she worked on a variety of different projects including the refurbishment and upgrading of a 46m radio-astronomy dish; design, development and integration of a satellite tracking and monitoring platform; design, development and calibration of a micro-spectrometer aimed to measure soil moisture content from space to be used in large scale soil analysis and farming applications; and the design and development of a UV gas camera used to monitor SO2 volcanic emissions.

Rising Star – Jessalyn Teed is a student at the University of Waterloo (UW) enrolled in the Environmental Studies and Aviation program. In partnership with the UW program, she does her flight training at Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre (WWFC). At UW and WWFC, Jessalyn has taken on a Human Factors Thesis in Aviation studying the Best Practice for Millennials in the Classroom, which targets the aviation industry as the demand for pilots increases and the practices evolve.

Rising Star – Candace McKibbon is a Terminal Duty Officer with the Vancouver Airport Authority and a former Operations Agent for Marquis Customer Service at YVR. In addition she is the Executive Director of the BC Aviation Council where she is active promoting aviation throughout the province.

Other initiatives include a Speakers/Mentors Bureau and a Scholarship Program. The 2017 Gala Award Dinner will be held on September 30, at the Toscana Conference Centre in Vaughan, Ontario. Tickets go on sale in July. For additional information and tickets visit our website at www.northernlightsaerofoundation.com or call Anna Pangrazzi 416 399-5247.

Nominations Open for Prestigious Aviation and Aerospace Awards

January 26, 2017, Toronto, Ont. – The Northern Lights Aero Foundation is now accepting nominations for its 9th Annual Awards Program. Each year, the national not-for-profit foundation honours outstanding Canadian women who have made a significant contribution to aviation or aerospace, and who continue to lay the groundwork for other women to enter or excel in these industries.

 The not-for-profit’s award program, the Elsie MacGill Awards – The Elsie, is named after aviation pioneer and human rights advocate Elsie Gregory MacGill, the world’s first female aircraft designer. MacGill graduated from the University of Toronto’s electrical engineering program in 1927 and later became pivotal in the design and production of the Hawker Hurricane in Canada during the Second World War. During her career, MacGill was appointed to the Canadian Royal Commission on the Status of Women, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

The foundation is always working on new initiatives and 2017 brings the introduction of our new brand, Northern Lights Aero Foundation logo and our new website http://www.northernlightsaerofoundation.com. We also recognize Porter Airlines as our top sponsor in 2017.

The 2017 winners will be selected by a judging panel comprised of industry experts and veterans, and will be honoured at the Elsie MacGill Awards gala in the Toronto area on Saturday, September 30, at the Toscana Conference Centre.

To nominate an outstanding woman, or for more information about the Northern Lights Aero Foundation and sponsorship opportunities, visit: http://www.northernlightsaerofoundation.com.

Nominations submission deadline is March 31, 2017.

May 31, 2016, Toronto, Ont. – The Northern Lights Aero Foundation (NLAF) board members are pleased to announce the seven winners of its 2016 Elsie MacGill Awards, the pinnacle aviation and aerospace award.

Each year, the national not-for-profit foundation honours outstanding Canadian women who have made a significant contribution in their field and who continue to lay the groundwork for and attract other women to enter or excel in these industries.

“We look forward to honouring the achievements of this year’s remarkable winners. We consider all the nominations received as high-achieving women, who have had a meaningful impact on those around them,” says Anna Pangrazzi, President and Director of Sales for The Northern Lights Aero Foundation. “This year’s winners are awe-inspiring to us all, they succeeded in their careers with such courage and determination, they are role models to us all and they strive to inspire and motivate other young women to take up careers in aviation and aerospace. ”

The 2016 list of winners:

Pioneer Award – Rosella Bjornson was the foremost first officer on a jet and is a trailblazer for women in aviation. She received her pilot’s licence at 17 and earned her commercial and instructor rating while attending the University of Calgary. She became the first female first officer when she was hired by Transair in 1973, and the first jet qualified female airline pilot in North America. She was also the first woman member of the Canadian Airlines Pilots Association. She was grounded in 1979 due to her first pregnancy, and worked with Transport Canada after her second pregnancy in 1984 to help create new policy for this vital issue. Due to her efforts, female pilots were able to fly for the first 6 months during pregnancy, a major milestone for women in aviation. In 1990 she became the first female captain with a major airline in Canada (Canadian). She was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997.

Flight Operations/Maintenance Award – Brigadier General Lise Bourgon is a highly respected maritime helicopter pilot with over 220 hours flying the Sea King. She has been a pioneer of gender integration and her career includes numerous milestones: she was the first female LtCol pilot commanding officer of an operational squadron, first female colonel wing commander, and the first female commander of joint task force- Iraq in Kuwait commanding over 600 CAF personnel. She has twice been the Canadian representative for the Women in NATO Working Group. She has worked on issues affecting women in the CAF and wrote her staff college thesis on retention and work-life balance. She has multiple degrees, the latest a Master of Public Administration.

Government/Military Award – Dr. Sylvie Béland, Internationally recognized aerospace and space scientist whose work has contributed to new technologies to the Canadarm2 and the International Space Station. She is the first woman aerospace R&D director at the National Research Council in charge 2 of the largest laboratory in the country with a staff of 100. She has held a number of senior positions at the Canadian Space Agency and served a five-year term as Counselor on Space and Commercial Affairs at the Canadian Embassy in Paris. She also acted as a Permanent Delegate of Canada to the European Space Agency. She is now the NRC co-champion on the National Women In Science and Technology Committee. She has written many papers and a book on high performance resins and their composites, and has received many awards and honours.

Business Award – Jolene Mahody, EVP and CFO for Chorus Aviation is a Chartered Accountant and has received her Fellow of Chartered Accountant designation, which is awarded for outstanding career and community achievements. She joined Air Nova in 1992 and has had an impressive and varied career track that has seen her take on increasingly senior roles. Jolene played a key role in the merger of four regional airlines into what eventually became Jazz Aviation LP, a successful IPO in 2006 and the evolution of Chorus.

Education Award  – Dr. Catherine Mavriplis, completed a Masters and a PhD in Aeronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology before pursuing postdoctoral studies in computational mathematics and aerospace engineering at Princeton. She is a licenced professional engineer in the state of Virginia and Ontario. She has been a member of the faculty at the University of Ottawa since 2008. In 2011, she was selected as the NSERC/Pratt and Whitney Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, the first woman from aviation and aerospace to be selected as one of the national champions for women in science and aerospace and continues to work as an advocate for advancing women in aerospace.

Rising Star Award 1 – Holly Johnson has a Bachelor of Applied Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto. She joined MDA as a student and has worked on the Canadarm program including performing the pre-mission simulation of the Canadarm robotic operations with the International Space Station. She was the lead systems engineer on the neurosurgical medical robotic (neuroarm2) transferring the technology of space to provide hands-free surgical imaging. She is also a Private Pilot.

Rising Star Award 2 – Navreet Saini graduated from Ryerson University’s aerospace engineering program in 2012, accepted an avionics engineering position with Bell Helicopter and has transferred to the Flight Test Experimental department. She has done internships with the Ryerson Institute Aerospace Design and Innovation, and with Bombardier. She worked on the ramp at the Brampton Flying Club during school and completed her pilot’s licence and night rating. Her goal is to work in the human factors and aviation sector.

The Foundation’s award program, the Elsie MacGill Awards, is named after aviation pioneer and human rights advocate Elsie Gregory MacGill. The world’s first female aircraft 3 designer, MacGill graduated from the University of Toronto’s electrical engineering program in 1927 and later became pivotal in the design and production of the Hawker Hurricane in Canada during the Second World War. During her career, MacGill was appointed to the Canadian Royal Commission on the Status of Women, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Other key initiatives of the foundation are the Scholarship Program for the Rising Star winners and the Speakers’ Bureau, where those looking to host an event with a motivational speaker can access a roster of female speakers and role models from aviation and aerospace. As a result of Porter Airlines recently coming on board as the NLAF title sponsor, the Foundation will now partner in the company’s marketing and branding initiatives around their “Women Soar” program.

About the Northern Lights Aero Foundation

The Northern Lights Aero Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that recognizes outstanding Canadian women in aviation and aerospace. Its mission is to inspire and encourage increased participation of women in these industries by: heightening the visibility of honourees as role models; promoting awareness of the vast opportunities in all sectors to attract talent; and ensuring organizations recognize and benefit from women’s diverse and untapped talents.

Additional information

Twitter: @NLAF09

Check us out on Facebook!

We are pleased to announce that 2013 Elsie MacGill Northern Lights Award winner, Maryse Carmichael, is the new Honourary President of the Air Cadet League of Canada (ACLC). The ACLC is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year with activities across Canada. For several years, the Northern Lights Aero Foundation has enjoyed a partnership with the Air Cadets, and they are a wonderful addition to our annual “Elsie” gala.

Supporting Air Cadets makes a difference in the lives of young people. Visit their www.aircadetleague.com for more information and tax deductible gifts.

We wish them well and look forward to their continued participation at our annual gala this year, on September 30th.

March 29, 2016, Toronto, Ont. – The Northern Lights Aero Foundation (NLAF) is pleased to announce a landmark sponsorship from Porter Airlines that will significantly help foster the cause of honouring and empowering outstanding Canadian women who have made significant contributions to aviation or aerospace.

Each year, the national not-for-profit foundation honours outstanding Canadian women who have made a significant contribution in their field and who continue to lay the groundwork for other women to enter or excel in these industries.

The sponsorship is part of Porter’s commitment to encourage and advance women in aviation. It coincides with the launch of Women Soar at Porter, which aims to bridge the gender gap within all areas of their organization.

“Aviation is for anyone willing to work hard and with a passion for what they do,” said Robert Deluce, President and CEO of Porter Airlines. “The Northern Lights Aero Foundation promotes values that are consistent with Porter’s own efforts to inspire women to pursue aviation careers.”

Announcing the new sponsorship agreement, Anna Pangrazzi, President and Director of Sales for the Northern Lights Aero Foundation, said,

“When it comes to women in aviation, the synergies between our two organizations make this a natural alliance. I am thrilled that Porter Airlines has partnered with us, to help us showcase the amazing contributions that women are making to the industry and to inspire other women to consider careers in aviation or aerospace. This is a significant win for the foundation and reflects our growth on a national stage.”

Porter and the Northern Lights Aero Foundation will also work together to broadly promote women in aviation at the airline.

About the Northern Lights Aero Foundation

The Northern Lights Aero Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that recognizes outstanding Canadian women in aviation and aerospace. Its mission is to inspire and encourage increased participation of women in these industries by: heightening the visibility of honourees as role models; promoting awareness of the vast opportunities in all sectors; and ensuring organizations recognize and benefit from women’s diverse and untapped talents. The Foundation’s national awards program, The Elsie MacGill Awards was established in 2009, and each year honours up to seven women for their contributions in specific aviation and aerospace disciplines. Award categories are:

Flight Operations/Maintenance (civilian), Government; Business, Education, Pioneer, and Rising Star.

www.northernlightsaerofoundation.com

About Porter Airlines

Porter Airlines has revolutionized short-haul flying with a warm and effortless approach to hospitality, restoring glamour and refinement to air travel. Porter is an Official 4 Star Airline® in the World Airline Star Rating® and also rated as Best Regional Airline in North America by Skytrax.

The airline currently offers flights to Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, Halifax, St. John’s, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, North Bay, Windsor, New York (Newark), Chicago (Midway), Boston, Washington (Dulles), Pittsburgh and has seasonal flights to Mt. Tremblant, Que., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Burlington, Vt., and Orlando-Melbourne, Fla.

www.flyporter.com

Additional information

Northern Lights Aero Foundation

info@northernlightsaerofoundation.com

Twitter: @NLAF09

Check us out on Facebook and LinkedIn!

Porter Airlines

media@flyporter.com

January 19, 2016, Toronto, Ont. – The Northern Lights Aero Foundation is now accepting nominations for its 8th Annual Elsie MacGill Awards Program. Each year, the national not- for-profit foundation honours outstanding Canadian women who have made a significant contribution to Aviation or Aerospace, and who continue to lay the groundwork for other women to enter or excel in these industries.

Each year, the national not-for-profit foundation honours outstanding Canadian women who have made a significant contribution in their field and who continue to lay the groundwork for and attract other women to enter or excel in these industries.

“We look forward to honouring the achievements of this year’s remarkable winners. We consider all the nominations received as high-achieving women, who have had a meaningful impact on those around them,” says Anna Pangrazzi, President and Director of Sales for The Northern Lights Aero Foundation. “This year’s winners are awe-inspiring to us all, they succeeded in their careers with such courage and determination, they are role models to us all and they strive to inspire and motivate other young women to take up careers in aviation and aerospace. ”

The 2016 list of winners:

Pioneer Award – Rosella Bjornson was the foremost first officer on a jet and is a trailblazer for women in aviation. She received her pilot’s licence at 17 and earned her commercial and instructor rating while attending the University of Calgary. She became the first female first officer when she was hired by Transair in 1973, and the first jet qualified female airline pilot in North America. She was also the first woman member of the Canadian Airlines Pilots Association. She was grounded in 1979 due to her first pregnancy, and worked with Transport Canada after her second pregnancy in 1984 to help create new policy for this vital issue. Due to her efforts, female pilots were able to fly for the first 6 months during pregnancy, a major milestone for women in aviation. In 1990 she became the first female captain with a major airline in Canada (Canadian). She was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997.

Flight Operations/Maintenance Award – Brigadier General Lise Bourgon is a highly respected maritime helicopter pilot with over 220 hours flying the Sea King. She has been a pioneer of gender integration and her career includes numerous milestones: she was the first female LtCol pilot commanding officer of an operational squadron, first female colonel wing commander, and the first female commander of joint task force- Iraq in Kuwait commanding over 600 CAF personnel. She has twice been the Canadian representative for the Women in NATO Working Group. She has worked on issues affecting women in the CAF and wrote her staff college thesis on retention and work-life balance. She has multiple degrees, the latest a Master of Public Administration.

Government/Military Award – Dr. Sylvie Béland, Internationally recognized aerospace and space scientist whose work has contributed to new technologies to the Canadarm2 and the International Space Station. She is the first woman aerospace R&D director at the National Research Council in charge 2 of the largest laboratory in the country with a staff of 100. She has held a number of senior positions at the Canadian Space Agency and served a five-year term as Counselor on Space and Commercial Affairs at the Canadian Embassy in Paris. She also acted as a Permanent Delegate of Canada to the European Space Agency. She is now the NRC co-champion on the National Women In Science and Technology Committee. She has written many papers and a book on high performance resins and their composites, and has received many awards and honours.

Business Award – Jolene Mahody, EVP and CFO for Chorus Aviation is a Chartered Accountant and has received her Fellow of Chartered Accountant designation, which is awarded for outstanding career and community achievements. She joined Air Nova in 1992 and has had an impressive and varied career track that has seen her take on increasingly senior roles. Jolene played a key role in the merger of four regional airlines into what eventually became Jazz Aviation LP, a successful IPO in 2006 and the evolution of Chorus.

Education Award – Dr. Catherine Mavriplis, completed a Masters and a PhD in Aeronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology before pursuing postdoctoral studies in computational mathematics and aerospace engineering at Princeton. She is a licenced professional engineer in the state of Virginia and Ontario. She has been a member of the faculty at the University of Ottawa since 2008. In 2011, she was selected as the NSERC/Pratt and Whitney Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, the first woman from aviation and aerospace to be selected as one of the national champions for women in science and aerospace and continues to work as an advocate for advancing women in aerospace.

Rising Star Award 1 – Holly Johnson has a Bachelor of Applied Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto. She joined MDA as a student and has worked on the Canadarm program including performing the pre-mission simulation of the Canadarm robotic operations with the International Space Station. She was the lead systems engineer on the neurosurgical medical robotic (neuroarm2) transferring the technology of space to provide hands-free surgical imaging. She is also a Private Pilot.

Rising Star Award 2 – Navreet Saini graduated from Ryerson University’s aerospace engineering program in 2012, accepted an avionics engineering position with Bell Helicopter and has transferred to the Flight Test Experimental department. She has done internships with the Ryerson Institute Aerospace Design and Innovation, and with Bombardier. She worked on the ramp at the Brampton Flying Club during school and completed her pilot’s licence and night rating. Her goal is to work in the human factors and aviation sector.

The Foundation’s award program, the Elsie MacGill Awards, is named after aviation pioneer and human rights advocate Elsie Gregory MacGill. The world’s first female aircraft 3 designer, MacGill graduated from the University of Toronto’s electrical engineering program in 1927 and later became pivotal in the design and production of the Hawker Hurricane in Canada during the Second World War. During her career, MacGill was appointed to the Canadian Royal Commission on the Status of Women, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Other key initiatives of the foundation are the Scholarship Program for the Rising Star winners and the Speakers’ Bureau, where those looking to host an event with a motivational speaker can access a roster of female speakers and role models from aviation and aerospace. As a result of Porter Airlines recently coming on board as the NLAF title sponsor, the Foundation will now partner in the company’s marketing and branding initiatives around their “Women Soar” program.

About the Northern Lights Aero Foundation

The Northern Lights Aero Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that recognizes outstanding Canadian women in aviation and aerospace. Its mission is to inspire and encourage increased participation of women in these industries by: heightening the visibility of honourees as role models; promoting awareness of the vast opportunities in all sectors to attract talent; and ensuring organizations recognize and benefit from women’s diverse and untapped talents.