Exploring Aviation Growth and STEM Opportunities in the St. Louis Region
[St. Louis, MO/OCT. 7, 2025] The St. Louis region will host the fourth annual Take Flight Forum on Thursday, Nov. 13, reuniting the directors of the five busiest bi-state airports who will join with leaders from regional STEM and flight training programs to discuss recent advancements and initiatives in the aviation industry. The conversation will delve into the continuing growth strengthening the region’s aviation sector and highlight some of the focused efforts to engage students in the opportunities that the region’s aerospace and aviation ecosystem offers. Hosted by Bi-State Development’s St. Louis Regional Freightway, the event will take place at the Bi-State Development headquarters in Downtown St. Louis from 8:30 – 10:20 a.m. Attendees can register at wwwTheFreightway.com/TakeFlight to reserve their spot at this highly anticipated event.
“We’re excited to host the St. Louis region’s Take Flight Forum for the fourth consecutive year,” said Mary Lamie, Executive Vice President of Multimodal Enterprises for Bi-State Development and head of the St. Louis Regional Freightway. “In the past year, the region’s aviation industry has seen remarkable advancements, including the most recent announcement of the new British Airway’s flights from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport launching next spring, and this event offers a unique opportunity to discuss exciting developments such as these, firsthand, with some of the people that made them happen.”
With the theme Stem to Sky!, the forum will include two in-person panel discussions featuring the following lineup:
Panel #1. The directors of the region’s five busiest airports will share updates on recent developments at their respective facilities and a preview of what to expect in the future. Panelists include Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, Director, St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL); Sandra Shore, Director, St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS); Darren James, Director, MidAmerica St. Louis Airport (BLV); John Bales, Director, Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS); Daniel Adams, Director, St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN).
Panel #2. Dr. Jennifer Kephart, Superintendent of the School District of Washington, Missouri, and Yolandea Wood, representing both the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals’ St. Louis Aerospace Career Excellence (ACE) Academy and the Hugh J. White Tuskegee Airmen Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated, will discuss some of the region’s programs introducing middle and high-school students to the magic of flight and laying the foundation for amazing careers in aerospace and aviation.
“As the aviation industry continues to evolve, forums like this play a vital role in fostering collaboration and showcasing both the investments and growth occurring at our region’s busiest airports and the innovative programs helping to inspire the next generation of aerospace and aviation professionals,” said Lamie, who also leads the St. Louis Regional Aerospace and Aviation Taskforce launched by the Freightway in 2024. “We look forward to continuing the conversation and driving progress together.”
To learn more and register, visit wwwTheFreightway.com/TakeFlight
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About St. Louis Regional Freightway
Established as the St. Louis region’s go-to source for coordinating support for industrial businesses and the logistics infrastructure they depend on, the St. Louis Regional Freightway (the Freightway) provides site selection and business assistance to manufacturing, logistics and multimodal transportation companies and their service providers. As an enterprise of Bi-State Development, the Freightway partners with public sector and private industry businesses to advocate for infrastructure development that supports the movement of freight, leads initiatives to grow the region’s talent pool, and plays a critical role in marketing the region as a world-class manufacturing and distribution cluster within the City of St. Louis and seven adjacent counties in Missouri and Illinois. To learn more, visit thefreightway.com.
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