Kendra Kincade

Kendra Kincade is a Canadian Air Traffic Controller and has been with NAV Canada for 23 years. Kendra is also Founder and President of Elevate Aviation, the Honorary Colonel of the RCAF 417 Helicopter Squadron, and most recently has become the Director and Executive Producer of her first documentary called Only Up.  Kendra’s mission is to promote the world of aviation to women.  

Kendra began her philanthropic journey by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to fundraise for the Lois Hole Hospital. Realizing that giving to others was where her happiness lay, she then founded her first organization, Changing Stories, undertaking projects such as building schools, playgrounds and homes in El Salvador and Nicaragua.  

Upon recognizing the negligible female presence in the aviation industry, in 2015, she founded Elevate Aviation, a non-profit devoted to helping women realize their potential through aviation.  Kendra’s work building Elevate Aviation has led to over $5 Million in funding to date and creating projects such as; a three-year national project to dismantle barriers that females encounter in aviation, a national wide mentorship program to empower women both civilian and in the military, opening of The Elevate Aviation Learning Centre at the Edmonton International Airport with programs such as ‘ACE’ bringing in students from grade 6 to adults into the airport for a week hands on experience, and ‘WEST’ which educates women who have been out of the work force obtain the skills they need for employment and link them to the aviation industry in order to obtain a career that provides economic security to find a life they love. 

Some awards and recognition include Global Woman of Vision, NAV Canada Chairman’s Award, recognized as a 2019 SHEInnovator with the Global Innovation Coalition for Change, a partner with United Nations Women, and Woman of Inspiration from The Universal Women’s Network, and the prestigious Trailblazer award with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation.   

 This mother of four, step-mother of two, and grandmother of three is an public speaker and is a regular columnist for Wings Magazine and Helicopter Magazine.