On Tuesday, September 16, the WTS-Boston Programs Committee returns to our 2025 luncheon series with Conversations with Women in Aviation, featuring Laurie Cullen, Sharon Williams, and Denise Garcia.
Registration for this event is now open, and will close on Monday, September 8th or earlier if the venue reaches capacity. This event is Non-Refundable, and no shows will be billed. When registering, please note Member pricing is for Individual Memberships, not Company Sponsors.
Join us as our WTS Boston 2025 luncheon series continues! Our "Conversations with Women in Aviation" event brings a wealth of experience in aviation to share and inspire as they tell their stories and spark discussions of various facets of this important transportation industry.
Speakers
Laurie Cullen currently serves as the Airport Program Lead under contract to the Build America Bureau where she is responsible for developing and implementing the airport Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation (BIL). Previously, Laurie:
- managed a five-year contract for the Volpe Center,
- served as a northeast regional aviation lead for VHB, Atkins North America, and HNTB,
- managed 190 staff operating and maintaining six airports and overseeing all environmental, planning, design, and construction as executive vice president at RI Airport Corporation, and
- oversaw capital programs at Boston, Worcester, and Hanscom Airports as Massport Airside Program Manager.
Laurie has a bachelor’s in environmental science from the University of Rochester and a master’s in public administration from the University of Rhode Island.
Sharon Williams serves as Massport’s Director of Aviation Facilities and Passenger Services at Logan International Airport. At Logan, Sharon oversees the operation of Airport Facilities, Customer Service, Terminal Management, as well as oversight of L. G. Hanscom Field, New England’s second busiest airport and the premier general aviation airport in the region. She previously served as the Director of Hanscom Field for twelve years.
Sharon has been employed by Massport for thirty years. She started her Massport career as an Operations Manager at Hanscom Field. Sharon continued her career at Logan International Airport in various positions including, Manager of Terminal B, Manager of Airside/Landside and Fleet Maintenance, Manager of Airport Facilities and Deputy Director of Aviation Services. In 2011, Sharon returned to Hanscom as the Manager of Airport Administration and became the Airport Director in February of 2013. In 2025, Sharon returned to Logan Airport as the Director of Aviation Facilities and Passenger Services.
Sharon received her private pilot’s license at the age of seventeen and has been a commercial pilot for 36 years. Sharon has a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management and Flight Technology from Florida Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Aviation and Aerospace Operations and Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Denise Garcia is the Acting Administrator for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Aeronautics Division. In this position she is responsible for advising on strategic initiatives and public policy matters and providing technical advice and consultation to aviation stakeholders concerning complex and sensitive airport/aviation issues.
She began her aviation career in the US Air Force where she served in the aircraft maintenance field at various military bases worldwide as an aircraft maintenance technician. She is a Gulf War veteran and served in the southwest Asia theatre during Operation Desert/Shield and Desert Storm.
After her military retirement, she worked in Operations and Noise Abatement at Massport for 3 years before transitioning to the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, which was the predecessor to the MassDOT Aeronautics Division, in 2001. She has over 21 years of state service. Denise is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and holds a Bachelor (BS) in Professional Aeronautics and a Master of Aeronautical Science (MAS) in Aviation/Aerospace Management.
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