Laura Foote
Air Traffic Controller, NAV Canada; Operations and Branding, Elevate Aviation
Edmonton, AB

STORY BY: WINGS MAGAZINE

Laura Foote, age 34, served in the artillery branch of the Canadian Armed Forces for 13 years. After moving to Edmonton from the East Coast, she became instrumental in the development of Elevate Aviation, a non-profit designed to inspire youth to join the world of aviation, with an emphasis on mentoring young women. She took on many of the administrative roles during Elevate’s quick rise, including her work on grant proposals that secured approximately $700,000 in funding over the past two years.

“We now have a couple of hundred women in the mentorship program. As of last year, we estimated that we have reached about 5,000 people [primarily through cross-country tours] in previous years; and this year alone we are probably going to double that,” Foote says. With its growth, Elevate is starting an ambassador program to develop provincial leadership. This will also help in the group’s goal to open more learning centres across the country, after starting up its first such centre at Edmonton International Airport earlier this year.

Foote also began training as an air traffic controller in 2015 and took her place in the Edmonton control tower focusing on high-artic routes. Foote is currently leading Elevate’s Status of Women Project, which involves the primary grant from the Federal government, as well as Elevate’s branding, Website and the annual fundraising gala.