Draft:Emily "Hawking" Shilling

Emily "Hawking" Shilling (she/her), born January 25, 1983, was commissioned in the United States Navy on November 10, 2005 through the Officer Candidate School. She is known in the queer and transgender communities as the first transgender person, and most senior Naval line-officer, to regain Naval medical flight clearance for single seat high performance jets post-transition.

Personal
Emily Shilling was born in Virginia Beach, VA. Prior to joining the military, she worked at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation for two years, as an Associate Engineer for the Kepler Space Telescope. In 2019, Emily Shilling came out as transgender, during which time there was a ban on transgender persons from serving in the military. This policy was established by President Donald Trump with the 2017 Transgender Military Ban. Due to this policy, she lost her flight status and the United States Navy started processing her out of the military. However, with an executive order, President Biden reversed the ban on transgender military members in 2021. This allowed her to stay in the military, and in 2023 she was cleared by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and returned to flight status. This marked the first ever return to flight status of a trans-identifying active-duty Naval officer, post-transition. Emily Shilling established her small business, Arroway LTD, in March 2024.

Education
Emily Shilling earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado of Boulder in 2005. She earned her Master of Systems Engineering from Naval Postgraduate School in 2015. She also earned a Professional Certification in Model-Based Systems Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2017.

Military Career
Emily Shilling spent a short time in the engineering industry before attending Officer Candidate School (OCS) with an aviation contract, earning her Wings of Gold in 2007 and selecting to fly the Grumman EA-6B Prowler. Her first squadron was VAQ-131, from April 1, 2009 to July 17, 2012, during which time she deployed to 5th Fleet on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in 2010 and 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn. In 2014, she was accepted into the United States Naval Test Pilot School, graduating with honors in 2015. She was stationed at VX-23 from August 17, 2015 to November 30, 2017 as an Airborne Electronic Attack Project Officer. In 2017 she conducted a lateral transfer to Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer (AEDO). She has been a part of multiple projects, including the acquisition of the MQ-25 and other next-generation defensive and offensive systems. She promoted to the rank of Commander (O-5) in 2021. Emily Shilling has accumulated over 1,700 flight hours, conducted 60 combat missions, and has flown a multitude of aircraft. The majority of her flight time, over 1,000 hours, was spent in the EA-6B Prowler. The remainder of her time was spent flying various aircraft as part of initial flight training or as part of test pilot sorties. These aircraft include the EA-18G, FA-18E/F, F-16D, UH-60, UH-72A, HU-16, U-6A, C-12C, B-25, ASK-21, S-3B, NP-3D, SGS-233, Saab AB, LEAR, SNJ, NU-1B, T-38C, T-45 Goshawk, T-6A/B, T-34 Mentor, and the T-28 Trojan.

Emily was stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Naval Air Station Meridian, Naval Support Activity Monterey, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and Naval Air Station Patuxent River. She has earned one Meritorious Service Medal, three Air Medals (for combat operations), two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and the Order of Daedalians Distinguished Airmanship Award.

Queer Community Impact
She actively participates in advocacy for the transgender community, helping establish Department of Defense policy, and attends multiple LGBTQ+ events annually.

Emily Shilling became a member of the board for Out & Equal in 2023. As a member of SPARTA since 2019, she was elected the President of the non-profit organization in May of 2023. She has participated at multiple LGBTQ+ events, including DoD Pride 2023, the American Psychological Association symposium in 2024, as well as Discover Card and USAA corporate events. She has also attended Congressional hearings to address transgender policies within the Department of Defense.

Notable speeches include Speaker for the Dead, Thirty-One, and the Women at SciTech Panel.

Achievements
As an advocate for the queer community, she was awarded the 2022 Outie Award. During her time as President, SPARTA accepted 2024 Community Champion Award from MMAA. She has also been listed in the Top 100 LGBTQ+ Executive Role Models of 2023, the Top 50 LGBTQ+ Women and Non-binary Trailblazers of 2024 , and a 2024 Out Leader (as part of Out in National Security).