Inspirational Women in Aviation

Story and photos by John Chalmers
November 2025
At the Edmonton International Airport on October 18, the Aurora Jet Partners hangar was the site of a celebration marking the accomplishments of women in aviation. The 2025 Inspire Gala, presented by Elevate Aviation and marking its 10th year, was indeed an inspiring event!
The big stage erected for the occasion was flanked on both sides with a huge screen, and excellent video service made it easy to see who was speaking. Shown here at the microphone and on screen is Sophia Wells, the Director of Mentorship & Volunteers for Elevate Aviation. Her experience as a pilot and as a Transport Canada pilot examiner serve her well in mentoring women for careers in aviation.
A sellout attendance saw almost 400 guests present to enjoy the opportunity for networking and camaraderie among kindred souls in the aviation community. A fine appetizer buffet of tasty dishes ranging from brisket on a bun to hearty meatballs, perogies and coconut shrimp, along with bar service, added to the success of the evening.
Opening the programme for the evening was James Jones, known by his stage name, Notorious Cree, from the Tall Cree First Nation in Treaty 8, northern Alberta. He works to educate and spread awareness on the issues having an impact on Indigenous communities. Known as a dancer and performance artist, after first speaking about his culture, James entertained the audience with a dynamic hoop dance.
Guests at the gala enjoyed games, creative displays and a well-supported silent auction that featured 80 items, including the hand-painted jersey of Edmonton Oilers captain, Connor McDavid.

Based at the airport, the mission of Elevate Aviation is “To advance the success of women and under-represented groups in aviation by providing education, career development, and workplace culture solutions aligned with industry needs.” The success of this non-profit organization, which is also a registered charity, and the accomplishments of its Learning Centre were clearly evident in the careers of the eight women who were honoured at the Inspire Gala.
Diversity in careers was seen in the honourees. Positions held included that of a helicopter aircraft maintenance engineer (AME), flight attendant, air show and aviation organization managers, airline pilots and an engineer. Recipients of the awards came from various cities in Canada.
Each woman honoured was introduced with a video about the person’s life and career, and then the honouree came to the microphone to make a personal statement. Shown here is Jadene Mah, an Aviation Events Consultant and Media & Performer Operations Specialist for the Abbotsford International Airshow.
Each recipient was presented with a certificate recognizing their accomplishments, and to conclude the programme, all honourees gathered on stage for a group photo. Left to right are Kristin Long, Sharon Cheung, Laurane Lestan, Crystalle Laamanen,  Jadene Mah, Stella Filippatos, Gyny Koy, and Toka Abu Jaib.

Support of the event was provided by the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) by providing for the silent auction three sets of our 2026 calendar with a one-year CAHS membership. As well, a one-year gift membership and a set of four copies of the CAHS Journal were provided for the swag bags given to each honouree.

See more at the Elevate Aviation web site. To see biographies of the eight honourees, when that site opens, under the PROGRAMS drop-down menu, click on Inspire and scroll down to Women Who Inspire.