Kimberly Perkins is an International Captain and Safety Officer on Gulfstream 650 aircraft based in Seattle, Washington. She has piloted jet aircraft on six continents and has lived on three. Along with aviating, she is a humanitarian activist through a non-profit she founded called Aviation for Humanity. And, through her published works and public speaking, she is an outspoken leader on gender parity within the aviation industry.
Kimberly actively authors articles highlighting ways to make the industry more inclusive. She has written for The Seattle Times, Aviation International News, and the Seattle Business Magazine advocating for gender parity initiatives. She has been featured in Forbes, Seattle Business Magazine’s “Daring Women” and Aviation for Women magazine. In 2019, she spoke at the International Aviation Women’s Association General Aviation conference in Napa, CA, the National Business Aviation Association’s annual conference in Las Vegas as part of a Diversity and Inclusivity panel, and in Montreal, Canada at Pratt & Whitney’s Changing the Conversation convention on unconscious bias and gender parity.
While Kimberly is passionate about her humanitarian efforts and work on gender parity, her primary job is an International Captain on Gulfstream 650 aircraft. Through her duties as Captain, she is responsible for the planning and safe execution of flights domestically and internationally. She operates primarily throughout North America, Europe, Africa and India. Ancillary to her primary role, she served as the company’s Safety Officer for three years. In this role, she chaired the Safety Committee, managed the company’s Safety Management System (SMS) program, and supported the leadership team on safety-related policies.
Kimberly currently serves as an active board member for Aviation for Humanity, a non-profit utilizing the network of international aviation to bring school supplies to children throughout the developing world. The non-profit aims to empower children, support education and, through positive multicultural interactions, create a global community that advocates for diversity and inclusivity.
Previously, Kimberly was an adjunct professor at Middle Georgia State University teaching International Airline Operations online. She served on the Board of the Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association and chaired the Business Aviation 2018 Safety and Security Day for the Pacific Northwest region. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation: Flight Operations, a Master of Arts degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations, and a certificate in Women in Leadership from Cornell.
