M'Lis Ward

Melissa "M'Lis" Ward is a United pilot, the first African-American female captain in commercial passenger aviation, according to Ebony magazine.[1] Her mother, Anne B. Ward, was one of the first two black women to graduate from the Pritzker School of Medicine.[2]

Ward was brought up in the South Side of Chicago and attended Whitney Young High School. She was awarded an Air Force ROTC scholarship to college. She gained a BBA from the University of Southern California. She joined the US Air Force where she was an instructor-pilot on the C141. In November 1992 she joined United Airlines in Chicago, as a second officer on DC-10s. After nine months she became first officer on Boeing 737-200s flying out of San Francisco, moving to 727s flying out of Denver in June 1995. By 2000 she was once again flying 737 shuttles out of San Francisco.[3]

She later coached basketball at a high school in Colorado.[4]

References
  1. Horton, Phyllis R., ed. (February 2000). "M'Lis Ward: First Black Female Captain in Commercial Aviation". Ebony. Chicago, Illinois: Johnson Publishing Company. 55 (4): 14. ISSN 0012-9011. Retrieved 8 February 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Ebony - March 2000 - Page 16
  3. Ebony, January 2000, Vol. 55, No. 3 ISSN 0012-9011
  4. Deisley, Caroline (February 2017). "Melissa Ward: first in flight". USCBHM. University of Southern California. Retrieved 11 February 2018.


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