CWO Marlene Shillingford was born in Newmarket, Ontario and enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces over 35 years ago as an Aircraft Technician. She graduated from basic occupational training at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering in Borden and started her career on the CT-114 Tutor at CFB Moose Jaw. In November of 1992, Marlene was selected to become the first female technician with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds and in 2006, she was selected to return as the first female Crew Chief. She has served at 8 Air Maintenance Squadron in Trenton, maintaining the CC-130 Hercules and deployed to South West Asia. Instructed future junior leaders at the RCAF Academy in Borden and was posted to the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force in Geilenkirchen, Germany, deploying with NATO as the Detachment Chief in Afghanistan. Marlene served at the Canadian Forces (Joint) Warfare Centre in Ottawa, completed the Officer Professional Military Education program and in 2014 was invested into the Order of Military Merit by the Governor General of Canada. She was promoted to her current rank in 2017 and was selected as the 12 Air Maintenance Squadron CWO in Shearwater, Nova Scotia and was then appointed as the 15 Wing CWO, returning to Moose Jaw. Marlene is a mentor for Elevate Aviation and last year, she was appointed as the Division CWO at 2 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg.
