VermontBiz: VTSU celebrates women in aviation, sponsors Ninety-Nines Conference in Vermont

Female pilot leans down next to plane and examines the aircraft on the tarmac.

This story was originally published by VermontBiz on July 1, 2025.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University is sponsoring this year’s Ninety-Nines International Conference, taking place in Burlington from July 9-13, 2025. The non-profit organization, made up of thousands of licensed women pilots spanning 44 countries, hosts this annual, prestigious international gathering to bring together aviators, industry professionals, and advocates for women in aviation.

As part of the event, Vermont State University (VTSU) will be showcasing its Professional Pilot Technology program, which is the only one of its kind in the state. The program is designed to prepare students for careers as professional commercial pilots, offering hands-on training, expert instruction, and direct pathways into the aviation industry.

Blending classroom learning with real-world flight training, VTSU’s Professional Pilot Technology program offers students an affordable and accelerated path to the cockpit. It’s fully authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), giving students the opportunity to fast-track their journey to becoming commercial airline pilots.

“The VTSU Professional Pilot program maintains its high standard in the aviation industry by offering excellent flight training accompanied by academic rigor that places graduates on the flight deck of a wide variety of commercial aircraft,” said Robin Guillian, Director of Aviation at VTSU. Beyond flight hours and certifications, Robin is also changing the face of the aviation industry. Vermont State is proud to support and celebrate women in aviation, a field where women are still significantly underrepresented. Guillian, alongside community partners, founded the Vermont Chapter of the non-profit organization, Women in Aviation International.

“As a pilot and instructor who has navigated the skies globally and logged over 6,000 commercial flight hours, I understand the unique challenges and triumphs women face in aviation,” Guillian added.

Sara Christian-O’Connor, a graduate of VTSU’s program and now a flight instructor, came to aviation as a second career and hasn’t looked back. “I feel super lucky and grateful I get to fly airplanes for a living. At least once a week I’ll be mid-flight and have one of those ‘wow, I get to do this every day’ moments. Aviation has truly bettered me as a person and a professional,” said Christian-O’Connor.

She said she’s been fortunate to have female students specifically seeking a female instructor and says her experience at VTSU has guided her career path. “Being someone who was in an education field prior, the best educators I saw were the ones not only who had the expertise, but the ones who could build meaningful relationships with students to help them be as successful as possible and I’ve seen that with the (VTSU) faculty,” said Christian-O’Connor.