Teara Fraser

Teara Fraser (born 1971) is a Canadian aviator and the founder and CEO of Iskwew Air.

Biography

Teara Fraser was born in Hay River, Northwest Territories.[1] She is a Métis woman of Cree ancestry.[2][3]

Career

Fraser became a certified commercial pilot in 2002[4] after experiencing her first small aircraft flight in October 2001.[4]

Fraser founded an aerial survey company in 2010, and sold the company six years later.[4] She returned to entrepreneurship in 2019[4] with the founding of Iskwew Air, a small airline that offers charter service to remote Indigenous communities in British Columbia, Canada. She chose the name Iskwew - which means "woman" in her ancestral Cree language - in celebration of her Indigenous heritage and of the work of women to fight for gender equality.[4][5]

In addition to her experience as an aviator and entrepreneur, Fraser founded the Aviation Leadership Foundation, sits on the board of directors of the British Columbia Aviation Council, is a faculty member at Royal Roads University, and was a founder of the Raven Institute and the Lift Collective.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fraser and Iskwew Air began supplying essential goods to remote Indigenous communities, such as Alert Bay, that were impacted by the pandemic.[6]

Fraser's story will be included in the DC Comics graphic novel Wonderful Women of History. The story, written by Traci Sorell and illustrated by Natasha Donovan,[7] is set to be published in September 2021.[8]

References
  1. Sterritt, Angela (23 September 2018). "'It's time,' says 1st Indigenous woman in Canada to start an airline on her own". CBC News.
  2. Gilpin, Emilee (26 September 2018). "The woman who bought a plane and started an airline dedicated to Indigenous women". National Observer.
  3. "Meet Teara Fraser, Iskwew Air". Small Business BC. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  4. Wolfsteller, Pilar (19 November 2020). "Pilot, leader, proud Metis woman, Teara Fraser". Flight Global. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  5. Moore, Marie. "Teara Fraser – Women of Influence". Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  6. Wilson, Lee (2020-06-02). "Iskwew Air making the supply rounds to remote B.C. communities". APTN News. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  7. "Metis pilot Teara Fraser profiled in new DC Comics graphic novel of women heroes". Victoria News. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  8. Arrant, Chris (11 November 2020). "DC postpones (and renames) Wonder Women of History anthology to 2021". Newsarama. Retrieved 2021-02-24.

She was born in Hay River

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