Katie Johnson

Katie Johnson joined West Star Aviation in 2014 with responsibility for developing and executing Human Resources strategy in support of the company’s overall growth priorities. Under her leadership, the HR teams also deployed modern workforce planning, skill development, analytics, mentorship, and talent activation techniques which have enabled 4x workforce growth with balanced focus on building career pathways, enabling career mobility, high employee engagement, and improved retention.

Katie started her career 24 years ago while in college and working at Sabreliner Corporation assisting with mergers and divestitures before transferring to Midcoast Aviation fka Jet Aviation St. Louis. She exited the company to start up a niche aviation website that promoted industry jobs while also consulting for high growth aviation companies looking to transform their People function. West Star Aviation was a client through this business venture which eventually led to her joining the Company in a full-time capacity.

Most recently, Katie led a vision to partner with a Part 147 community college and developed a formalized Apprenticeship program known as West Star Aviation Academy (WSAA). WSAA is designed to tackle the workforce shortage by removing common barriers to entry. WSAA is based at West Star's campus in East Alton, IL and is powered by Southwestern Illinois Community College. Apprentices hired into WSAA receive full-time employment at the beginning of their educational journey while earning and learning throughout the 7.5-month journey. Personalized learning includes FAA requirements and West Star specific proprietary systems, manuals, mentorship and OEM airframe training to ensure Apprentices are more work-ready upon obtaining their FAA certification. Currently on WSAA's 4th cohort, over 70 newly licensed AMTs have entered West Star's workforce since January 2024 with an average graduation rate of 92%.