La'Shanda Holmes

La'Shanda R. Holmes is a lieutenant commander in the United States Coast Guard[1] and the first African-American female helicopter pilot[2] for the Coast Guard.[3] She grew up in the foster care system and put herself through Spelman College.[4] She was an Aircraft Commander at Air Station Los Angeles, Air Station Atlantic City (where she was deployed multiple times to Washington D.C. (NCR) as a rotary wing air intercept pilot), and Air Station Miami. She has amassed over 2,000 flight hours conducting search and rescue, counter drug, law enforcement, and Presidential air-intercept missions.[2] She was appointed as a White House Fellow in 2015 by President Barack Obama.[5] In 2015–2016 she was the Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator General Charles F. Bolden.

Lieutenant Commander La'Shanda Renee Holmes
Holmes in 2010
Born	1985 (age 37–38) Plainfield, New Jersey
Service/branch	United States Coast Guard

Holmes received her BA in psychology from Spelman College and is a Bonner Scholar.[6] She sits on the board of directors for Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum, Foster Club, and Girls Fly![2]