Aerospace Professionals

OURMISSIONThe mission of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals is to“Inspire Excellence, Support, Transform, Educate,Mentor” our members and youth with opportunities in the aerospaceindustryfromcradletocareer.

VisionStatementThe vision of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals is tocommittotherealizationofanaerospaceindustryinwhichallindividualshaveequalopportunitiestoexpansivecareers.Objectives

• Tomotivateyouthtobecomeeducationallypreparedforlife• Toincreaseminorityparticipationinaviationandaerospacethrough

exposure,training,mentoringandscholarships• Toincreasethenumberofunderrepresentedminorityprofessionals,

engineers, scientists and management personnel in aviation andrelatedindustries

• To better assist our organization, membership concerns andconstituencies.

HISTORYIn1976BenThomas,ayoungAfricanAmericanpilotwithEasternAirlines,spearheaded an effort to form a permanent body to address the lack ofdiversity in aviation. He invited thirty-seven African American pilots,representingnearly50%oftheindustrytotalatthetime,toconveneatO-HareHiltonHotelinChicagoonSeptember17thand18th.TheOrganizationofBlackAerospaceProfessionals(OBAP),thencalledTheOrganization of Black Airline Pilots, was formed as a result of thatcollaborativemeetingwithafocusofpreparingyouthandyoungadults torealizesuccessfulcareersinaviation.Theorganizationquicklybecameaprominentadvocateandthought-leaderin improving conditions industry-wide. In 1986, OBAP's General CounselandEasternFirstOfficerEddieHaddentestifiedbeforeaU.S.Congressionalhearingonairline industryhiringpractices.Asaresult,Congressbegantostrengthenaccountabilitymeasurestomonitortheperformanceofminorityrecruiting. In 1994 OBAP member and Pan Am Pilot Ed Moon offeredadditional testimony before a similar session. The hearing broughtincreasedawarenessofthelackofdiversitywithintheairlines,encouragingswift changes to industry standards in direct partnership with minorityorganizations like OBAP. Additionally, the testimonies helped to increaseavailablepilotpositionsandopportunitiesforpeopleofcolorandelevatedthecivilrightsissuetoahighpriorityforgovernmentofficialsnationwide.The unwavering commitment to increase diversity by leading aviationprofessionals, many of which have been OBAP members, increased thenumberofAfricanAmericanpilotsbymorethan400%between1976and1986,just10years.Ofthe400AfricanAmericanpilotsatthetime,14werewomenwiththemostnotableBessieColemanpavingtheway.Beginningin1992,inanefforttoaugmentthedwindlingmilitarysupplyofpilots, then OBAP President, Captain M. Perry Jones encouraged the U.S.Congress to appoint a panel and fund a 2-year study by the NationalAcademy of Sciences to evaluate the nation's supply, demand, andproductioncapacity forairlinepilotsbeyondtheyear2000. Asaresultofthe study, the U.S. Armed Forces became obligated to increase minorityparticipation in the military, allotting positions designated solely forminoritypilots.OBAPcontinuestorecognizeandstrengthenopportunitiesforcollaborationwith organizations including the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. (TAI) and BlackWings in Aviation (NAI) who have served as passionate advocates forAfricanAmericansinaviationformorethan70years.In 1982 the organizations collaborated to provide invaluable historicalaccounts of African Americans in aviation for the "Black Wings" exhibitpresented by the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and theSmithsonianInstitutionTravelingExhibitionService.Theexhibitionisbeingtourednationallyuntilearly2016.

Aerospace Professionals

HISTORYcont.OBAPtooktheopportunitytoconvenejointnationalconventionswithTAIand NAI in the 1990s. During this time, OBAP served a leading role inestablishingFAA-endorsedAviation Career Education (ACE)Academies tointroduce,educateandguidediversestudentstowardscareers inaviation.In 1992, OBAP supported two ACE Academies reaching 41 students. In1994,weco-sponsored17Academiesandreachedmorethan400students.Today,OBAP'sACEAcademiesprovideexposureto thehistoryofaviation,fundamentals of aerodynamics, airtraffic control procedures,aerospacetechnologies and a host of aviation careers tomore than 1,100studentsin30citiesnationwide.

In 2005, OBAP established four Centers of Excellence in Memphis,Louisville, Atlanta and Houston to provide centralized community-basedresourcesthatwouldensureyouthengagementfromchildhoodthroughtoestablished aviation careers. In Houston, under the leadership of XavierSamuels, a United Airlines first officer pilot, youth are first introduced toaviation through Aerospace Professionals in Schools (APIS) initiativesthrough longstanding relationshipswith the Houston Independent SchoolDistrict,TexasAssociationofPartners inEducation(TAPE)andtheCityofHouston.Once inmiddleschool,youthhavetheopportunity toparticipatein Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academies held each summer inpartnershipwithArmyROTCamongothers.AdditionallyinHouston,OBAPcontinues a 12-year partnership with Sterling High School and TexasSouthernUniversitytoguideyoung-adultsthroughouttheiracademicpath.From 2006 to present, with the support of strategic partners like theTuskegeeAirmenInc.,NationalBlackCoalitionofFederalAviation,andtheFederalAviationAdministration,theHoustonCenterofExcellencealonehasreachedmorethan50,000youth.OBAPisproudoftheunwaveringcommitmentofitsmembersfornearly40years. U.S.CensusBureau2010 reports state thatAfricanAmericans,menandwomen, account for just over 6%of the 266,135 aircraft pilots, flightengineers, air traffic controllers, airfield operations specialists and flightattendantsemployednationwide. Thereforeoureffortscontinue,strongerthanever, toeffectively implement lastingchangeonbehalfofourdiversememberbaseandtomeettheprojectedneedsoftheindustry.

Aerospace Professionals

VANESSABLACKNALL-JAMISONBOARDOFDIRECTORSCHAIR

OBAP Chair Vanessa Blacknall-Jamison has over 39 years of professionalaviationexperiencewith28of thoseasa supervisor,managerandhumanresourcesspecialist.

She is a graduateof theFAANationProgram forEmergingLeaders (PEL)and the Southwest Region LEAD Program (Leadership Enhancement andDevelopment Program). She has served on OBAP’s Board of Directors asVice Chair and board member since 1990. Vanessa received honorarymembershipwithOBAPforheryearsofservicewiththeorganization.Vanessa continues to serve onotheraviation-related organizations’BoardofDirectors.SheholdsaM.B.A.–UniversityofPhoenixandB.A.–UniversityofSouthernCalifornia.SheisamemberoftheAlphaKappaAlphaSorority.She and her husband of 32 years, Tony Jamison, have two adult children,MikialaandAnthony(Bryce).Sheistheproudgrand-puppy-parentto‘Red’and‘William.’VanessamakesherhomeinAurora,Colorado.

Aerospace Professionals

Currently, Vanessa is with the FederalAviation Administration (FAA), FlightStands (AFS) Leadership DevelopmentTeam–LeadershipCoach(ACC)andChangeManagementAdvisor(CMA).Vanessa is a certified business coachresponsible for coaching senior executivesandmanagers as a CMA. Vanessa supportsChange Management Practitioners onvariousproject teams in integratingchangemanagement activities into their projectplans.

Aerospace Professionals

CAROLEHOPSONBOARDOFDIRECTORSVICECHAIR

Carole Hopson currently serves as OBAP Board of Directors Vice-Chairwoman.SheisaFirstOfficerforExpressJetAirlines.

She began her career as a police reporter and hasworked for theBergenRecord and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She has also held executive-levelpositionswith theNationalFootball League and L’Oreal Cosmetics. At theNFL,shehelpedguideprofessionalplayers intoworkafter football,andatL’Oreal, she headed up human resources for supply chain logistics inCranbury,NJandAurora,CO.Attending the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, CaroleearnedaMastersofSciencedegree,andsheholdsaBachelorofArtsdegreefromtheUniversityofVirginia,inSpanishLiterature.Caroleandhusband,MichaelHopson,havetwosons, JoshuaandColeman,andtheymaketheirhomeinMontclair,NewJersey.

Aviation had always been her passion, soshe pursued flying, working as a flightinstructor, while raising her family.Previously she was VicePresident/Director for Training &Development of Foot Locker, USA. There,Carole headed up executive-levelleadership coaching, as well as storeassociate training, creating originalproduct knowledge videos and salestrainingforover140,000associates.

Aerospace Professionals

CAPTAINKARLMINTERBOARDOFADVISORSCHAIR

KarlMinterisaB-767CaptainforUnitedAirlineswithover19,500hoursofflying experience. Capt. Minter is past board chair and current board ofadvisors chair for the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals(OBAP),a501(c)(3)non-profitorganization.Capt.MinterisalsoaretiredLt.Colonel with 26 years of service in the United States Air Force Reserve,serving in multiple assignments including HQ USAF, DCS Plans andPrograms, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), ExecutiveSupportCenterat thePentagon.Capt.Minter isanAviationSubjectMatterExpert (SME) with Aircraft Accident Investigation Credentials. He is anengaged community leader, Board Member for the Friends of TuskegeeNational Historic Site (FTANHS), and member of the Board of Trustees,Tuskegee University. Capt. Minter also consults with aviation industryleaders on next generation technologies, training, mentoring and humancapitaldevelopment.

HewasacombatdecoratedcommandpilotwhoflewmissionstoGrenada,Panama,Desert-Shield,andDesert-Storm,whileprovidingsafeandefficientworldwide transport to the Department ofDefense,Whitehouse staff andnationalleaders.

Capt. Minter has numerous medals, citations, and certificates from hismilitary service career. Since becoming a pilot for United Airlines, Capt.Minter has flown DC-10’s, B-757/767’s, and B-777’s, B-737 (Line CheckAirmen),andtheAirbus319/320aircraft.

As Chairman of the Board of Advisors, Capt. Minter works to strengthenpartnershipsbetweenindustry,educationalinstitutionsandthecommunitytomaximizetheexposureofouryouth toAerospace, Science,Technology,Engineering,andMathematics(STEM)careerfields.

Capt.MinterismarriedwiththreegrownchildrenandtheyliveinnorthernVirginia.

Capt.MinterisoriginallyfromSt.AlbansQueens, NY. He has been involved inaviation for the last 41 years. He has aB.S.fromEmbry-RiddleUniversity,andaMBA (Honors Graduate) from RegisUniversity. He has worked for SikorskyAircraft Company in Stratford, CT, as aFlightTestEngineerpriortobecomingapilot for the United States Air Force.Capt. Minter flew C-141B “Star-lifters”both at McGuire AFB, NJ, and AndrewsAFB,MD.HealsoflewC-20Baircraftsatthe 89th Presidential Airlift Wing atAndrewsAFB,MD.