NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy Tells WAI Attendees To Embrace Failure | Aviation International News

Training and Workforce

NTSB Chair to WAI Attendees: Embrace Failure, Try Again

Air New Zealand’s Marren reflects on aviation connecting people

Jennifer Homendy speaks to the audience at WAI 2026 — Jennifer Homendy speaks to the audience at WAI 2026 during the opening general session on Friday, March 20. © Amy Wilder

By Amy Wilder • Writer

March 20, 2026

“Accepting failure is the price you pay for pursuing your dreams, and I promise it’s worth the cost every time,” NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said Friday during the second-day general session at the Women in Aviation International Conference in Dallas. Speakers at this session emphasized resilience, human connection, and the courage to try again after setbacks.

Air New Zealand COO Alex Marren, speaking weeks before her retirement after more than 40 years in aviation, traced her career to a childhood trip from Boston to Athens on a TWA 747. “Standing in front of that aircraft and then being wrapped in connection on the other side of the ocean made me feel, for the first time, like I was a part of something bigger than myself,” Marren said. “Aviation did two things at once: it moved people across the world, and it made belonging possible.”

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