Fifteen Outstanding Woman Leaders in Central Texas Nominated for Prestigious Award From San Antonio Business Journal.
San Antonio, Texas, September 1, 2021 – Knight Aerospace is proud to announce that its President and CEO, Bianca Rhodes, was named 2021 Woman of the Year by the San Antonio Business Journal. This prestigious award recognizes her extraordinary leadership, not only at the helm of Knight Aerospace but also in the Central Texas community.
“I am truly humbled and honored by this amazing recognition,” Rhodes said. “It is an absolute reflection of our great products and the great team that surrounds me.”
As the San Antonio Business Journal notes, Rhodes doubled the Knight workforce to 60 employees in one year, growing during the Covid-19 pandemic. That growth focused in part on manufacturing specialized medical aircraft units for governments, including the Royal Canadian Air Force. The RCAF received the first Aeromedical Bio-Containment Unit in 2020. This “flying emergency room” is easily loaded onto cargo aircraft, interoperable on the C-2, C-5, C-130, C-17, C-295, C-27J, A400M, and others.
The award also recognizes Rhodes’ extensive volunteer work with Any Woman Can, San Antonio AirLIFE, Junior Achievement of South Texas, Big Brothers and Sisters, Baptist Health Systems, San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind the Dee Howard Foundation, and the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on the corporate boards of Dura Software Inc. and Lawson Products Inc.
“The San Antonio business community is special – our networks nurture the growth of each person and I have been the absolute benefactor of this,” Rhodes said. “I cannot imagine where I would be without the support of some of the city’s biggest legends throughout my career.”
As Rhodes told the San Antonio Business Journal, diversifying the staff of Knight has been a priority from day one.
“When I became CEO [of Knight Aerospace], the company only had one woman, the receptionist,” she said. “Now about 25% of our company is represented by women. We have engineers, aerospace mechanics, managers, and various levels of administrators. And every one of them is awesome.”
In addition to Rhodes, the 2021 Women’s Leadership Awards honorees include:
- Kimberly M. Britton, CEO, EPIcenter
- Laura Cabanilla, Corporate Responsibility Lead – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, USAA
- Shirley Crandall, President, Crandall and Associates
- Leah Gallagher, San Antonio City Leader, Transwestern
- Tiffany Jones-Smith, CEO, The State of Texas Kidney Foundation
- Sheri Kitchen, Co-owner and Chief Operating Officer, Arnold Refrigeration
- Catherine Lorenzo, Vice President of Revenue, San Antonio Zoo
- Julia Mann, Partner, Jackson Walker LLP
- Laura Elizabeth Mayes, Assistant Director of Government & Public Affairs, City of San Antonio
- Veronica Mendez, Chief Financial Officer, The University of Texas at San Antonio
- Kay Scroggins President and CEO, Clinical Trials of Texas Inc.
- Cara Tackett, P.E., LEED AP, Senior Vice President, Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc.
- Heather Tessmer, Owner, Tessmer Law Firm
- Carol Warkoczewski, Founder and Chief Vision Officer, Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects
ABOUT KNIGHT AEROSPACE
Knight Aerospace leads the industry in the design, manufacture, and customization of medical modules, pallets, VIP transport systems, and more for cargo aircraft. These include a variety of quick-change, roll-on/roll-off products, like the Next Generation ATGL for military aircraft. Knight has delivered products to more than 34 countries since 1992.
