Leadership

As a senior aviator, test pilot and leader, Desiree brings 24 years of experiences ranging from helicopters to fixed-wing assignments, including leadership roles with foreign military aviation sales and command of national security policy, honed through her work as a congressional defense fellow.

Beyond her military career, Desiree looks forward to serving our Women Military Aviators community, sharing and contributing to the organization’s vision for collaboration, mentorship and education to advance the future of military aviation for women.

“Above the Best.”

Sophia graduated with a Geology degree in 1984 and received her commission from the University of Utah ROTC. She was winged in 1986 and flew the SH-3 helicopter, flying logistic support, SAR, and weapons recovery, in California, Hawaii, and Virginia.

Her non-flying billets included a tour at the U.S. Naval Academy; Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet; USS NASSAU (LHA-4); and Operational Test & Evaluation Force.

She has flown the T-34, H-57, SH-3, and C-12. Along with being WMA VP, she is the Newsletter editor and Conference Coordinator.

Kim is a 1982 graduate of the US Air Force Academy (3d class that accepted women). Attended pilot training at Vance AFB. A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. Command tours include: Commander, 116th Operations Group; Vice Commander, USAF Expeditionary Center; and Commander 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing. Kim retired from the Air Force in 2021 with 4600 flight hours in the T-38, T-1A, E-3 and E-8C. She retired a second time as the civilian Director of Staff at the USAF Expeditionary Center. She currently resides in Ft Worth, TX and enjoys cycling.

Lucy has been a member of WMA since 1990 and has served as the Clerk for several years. She is a graduate of Purdue University. Lucy flew TA-4 Skyhawks and C-9 transports in the US Navy. Since May 1986 she has flown for Piedmont Airlines, USAir, USAirways, and American Airlines. In 2019 she flew her airline retirement flight to Bologna, Italy with an all female crew. In August 2023 she started flying for Cape Air in Hyannis, MA as a part time C-402 captain.

Laura graduated and was commissioned at Auburn University in 1983. She was winged a Navy Flight Officer in 1984 and assigned to VAQ-34 (EA-7L). Her other assignments include Navy Postgraduate School, USNA, and VAQ-33. Laura transferred to the Navy Reserves in 1993 and completed 30 years, retiring as Captain in 2014. Her civilian jobs include Microsoft, Starbucks, Express Jet airlines, and Alaska Airlines, where she is set to retire as a Boeing 737 captain in October 2025.

Laura has two children, loves hiking, biking, kayaking, boating and traveling.

“I am part of the 2nd generation of Women in Naval Aviation and proud of the “where we have been and where we are going.”

Eileen was commissioned through Officer Training School in 1980 and served nearly 30 years in the Air Force, retiring as a colonel. During her military career, she served as a Flight Test Engineer, Instructor, and Test Squadron Commander. She was a Senior Non-rated Aircrew Member and flew over 700 hours as a Flight Test Engineer in more than 25 different aircraft, primarily the F-4, F-16, C-130, and C-141. She also served as an Air Force senior executive, retiring in January 2024 as the Executive Director, Air Force Test Center.

Shelly Mendieta retired as a U.S. Air Force Colonel after 24 years of distinguished service. A 1999 ROTC graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, she earned her wings at NAS Pensacola and went on to serve as an F-15E Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), logging over 2,400 flight hours and more than 100 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. She held multiple command positions at the headquarters, wing, and squadron levels, stateside and overseas.

Throughout her career, Shelly championed women’s voices in aviation, advocating for operational equipment and safety improvements to better support aircrew in combat and training environments. Today, she continues her advocacy through the Military Aviator Coalition for Health (MACH), where she helps drive national advocacy efforts. Most recently, she supported the passage of the Aviator Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Act and continues to advance the ROTOR Act for helicopter pilots and aviation support personnel.