AMANDA WRIGHT LANE

Great Grand Niece of Orville and Wilbur Wright works to preserve the story of her famous family’s contribution to aviation history.

Mrs. Lane is a trustee for the Wright Family Foundation of the Dayton Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 charitable fund. It supports the preservation of aviation history related to the lives of the Wright Brothers by funding projects that include research and publication of early aviation history, scholarships for studies in the fields of aviation and aeronautics, educational programming, the restoration and display of aviation artifacts, and the development of landmarks and memorials related to the Wrights’ story. Since its inception in 1990, the Wright Family Foundation has donated approximately $1.4 million to twelve aviation related organizations.

Amanda has served as the Wright family’s liaison to organizations such as Inventing Flight, the Dayton Aviation Heritage Commission, and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park.

She was awarded the title of one of Dayton Ohio’s Top Ten Women in the year 2005 and the Ivonette Wright Miller Award for volunteerism in the field of aviation/aerospace from the National Aviation Heritage Alliance in August 2008.

Today, she is actively involved with the National Aviation Hall of Fame, Aviation Trail Incorporated, and currently serves on the boards of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance, Dayton History, Wright-Dunbar, Inc., Wright B, Inc., Engineers’ Club of Dayton, and the First Flight Foundation in North Carolina. She was the honorary chairman of both the Le Mans Sarthe Wright 2008 Centennial Committee and Pau Wright Aviation committee; French based aviation heritage groups that celebrated Wright accomplishments in Europe.

Amanda serves on the Governor’s Aerospace and Business Aviation Advisory Commission, helping to plan for the state’s role in expanding aviation/aerospace activity within Ohio.

As a Wright family spokesperson, Amanda Wright Lane consults with researchers and academics who are working to preserve the legacy of the Wright Brothers, gives lectures on her family’s history, and works with state officials in both North Carolina and Ohio, to raise awareness for the two National Parks in the United States dedicated to telling the story of the Wright Brothers.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has recognized Amanda Wright Lane with their 2008 Public Service Award for “outstanding contributions to the aeronautics industry on national and international levels, and for dedicated efforts to preserve aviation history through education and outreach.” In 2009 she received Aviation Trail’s Trailblazer award for promoting and preserving the Dayton region’s aviation heritage. She joined other aviation supporters such as John Travolta, Kurt Russell and Morgan Freeman when she was named a Living Legend in a ceremony held January 2010 in Beverly Hills California. In September, 2010, Amanda was awarded the Air Force Ambassador Award from the Kittyhawk Chapter of the Air Force Association.

She graduated with a B.S. from Miami University, and as a volunteer, founded three children’s educational and social programs for her community’s schools. She resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband, Don. She has two children, son Brenden, a graduate of Stanford University, now working in Palo Alto, California and daughter Meredith, a graduate of Indiana University, and currently a doctorate student of the Ohio State University.