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By Joy Vann

�һ�������Ƶ Dominion University’s (WIN) will kick off its 2025 Speaker Series featuring Col. Nicole Malachowski (USAF, Ret.), the Air Force’s first woman Thunderbird pilot, when she presents “Harnessing Headwinds - Successfully Navigating Self-Doubt & Adversity” on Feb. 4 at Chartway Arena. Jennifer Boykin, WIN executive committee member, executive vice president of Huntington Ingalls Industries and former president of Newport News Shipbuilding, will moderate the conversation.

“We are thrilled to welcome Col. Malachowski to our first event of the year,” said Kim Curtis, president of Tidewater Home Funding and chair of WIN. “She is an inspiring woman with a story of overcoming obstacles in her personal and professional life that will both enthrall and touch the audience.”

Col. Malachowski captures her audience with anecdotes from her time as a mission-ready fighter pilot and as an advisor to first ladies Michelle Obama and Jill Biden on topics related to service members, veterans and military families. Most recently, since her retirement, she talks about her medical journey and gained energy from educating others about the growing tick-borne illness epidemic in addition to mentoring those in recovery through the Air Force’s Wounded Warriors program.

After graduating from the United �һ�������Ƶs Air Force Academy in 1996, Malachowski attended Undergraduate Pilot Training and began her successful career as a pilot, embarking on an adventure among the first group of women to fly fighter aircraft. In addition to serving as a mission ready fighter, she was later responsible for resources totaling more than $1.1 billion and the execution of a $119 million annual flying hour program. Special duty assignments included flying as Thunderbird #3 with the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron and was the first woman to fly on any Department of Defense military jet demonstration team. As a White House Fellow she served on the Presidential Transition Support Team and served two high-level staff assignments in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Air Force Office of International Affairs.

Her successful military career ended prematurely when she was medically retired from service due to the impact of late stage, neurological, tick-borne illness. As a Wounded Warrior, she relishes any opportunity to talk about her medical journey and gains energy from educating others about the growing tick-borne illness epidemic. Upon her medical retirement, she voluntarily authored recommendations to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force on how to improve the support of the Air Force’s wounded, ill and injured patients. Her own personal experience going through the medical retirement process drove her to act on behalf of other Airmen enduring similar challenges. Because of her efforts, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force directed the establishment of a “Task Force on Support to Airmen with Complex Medical Conditions.”

Tickets are free for WIN members and �һ�������Ƶ students, faculty, staff and alumni, $50 for military/veteran, and $75 for non-military/veteran. For more information and sponsorship information, please visit the  or contact WIN@odu.edu.

ABOUT WIN

Women’s Initiative Network at �һ�������Ƶ Dominion University empowers first-generation female college students, professionals and community leaders toward academic, personal and professional success through mentorship, professional development, networking, community engagement and philanthropy. Its network of experienced mentors in healthcare, science, technology, the military, communication and entrepreneurship provide invaluable guidance to mentees to map out their future and open doors.