Engage in a dialogue with retired American Airlines pilot, Beverley Bass, and a group of Oklahoma City leaders, for an inspiring discussion on women succeeding in male-dominated industries. Bass is characterized in the Broadway musical, Come From Away.

The musical will be playing in OKC at the Civic Center in early February 2020.

About the Panelists:

Beverley Bass, Retired American Airlines Pilot and character in musical COME FROM AWAY

The first American Airlines female captain – Beverly Bass was piloting an American Airlines flight from Paris to Dallas on September 11, 2001, when terrorist attacks caused her plane and 37 others to be diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, Canada after U.S. airspace was shut down.

The Broadway musical, COME FROM AWAY, is based on her story from 9/11 and the days that followed when a small town of 9,400 was overwhelmed with 7,000 passengers from those diverted airlines.

Dr. Jeanie Webb, President of Rose State College

7th President of Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma, and first female president - Dr. Webb has been instrumental in changing the landscape of Rose State College. During her tenure, the college has expanded its footprint to recruit students from 66 counties in Oklahoma, built on-campus housing, expanded its cybersecurity and aerospace programs, and orchestrated the construction of a new student union.

Dr. Webb's passion for seeing others succeed is rooted in her own story, starting at a community college. She says that the decision is one that has changed her life forever.

Amy Downs, CEO Allegiance Credit Union and survivor of the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing

Amy Downs was one of the last survivors to be pulled from the rubble of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. While buried alive and waiting to die, she realized she had never really lived. In the coming years, she lost 200 pounds, became a triathlete, went back to school, and graduated with a Masters of Business Administration. Amy would go on to get promoted at the Credit Union, where she worked but eventually became its CEO. Amy shares a message more powerful than her survival: her transformation in the aftermath.

Lindy Ritz, President, the Ritz Group LLC and retired after a long career with the Federal Aviation Administration

Ritz was named the first female director of the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City in 1997 having come to the Center in 1979. The Aeronautical Center is the largest centralized service and support facility for the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation outside of Washington D.C. and home to more than 7,000 federal and contract employees. She serves as the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commissioner for District 4.