Fort Smith Regional Airport commissioners discuss effort to find a new director

The Fort Smith Regional Airport Commission hopes to have a director hired within six months, but a focus on finding “character and integrity” in a person to help lead the key regional infrastructure asset means the “timeline may evolve.”

Former Director Michael Griffin resigned April 22. He had been director since 2017 and was with the airport for 18 years. Griffin’s base annual salary was $165,000. Lindsay Conley, airport director of finance and administration, and Andrew Meyer, airport director of operations, were named by the commission as co-interim directors. The commission also voted unanimously to hire a consultant to help Conley and Meyer with interim management.

In separate email interviews with Talk Business & Politics, Commission Chair Eric Pendegrass and Commissioner Dr. Justin Voris, tapped by the commission to lead the search for a director, answered questions about the effort to hire a director.

While the position isn’t the most widely known in the region, the director plays a key role in a regional effort to bring more airlines and routes to the airport and also is a key figure in helping the U.S. Air Force fully establish the foreign military pilot training center at the adjacent Ebbing Air National Guard Base.

“With approximately 1,500 acres of land, we have significant opportunities to expand land leases and create new revenue streams that will directly support the ongoing success of our airport system,” Voris said.

He also said a preferred candidate will be someone who “possesses the unique balance of enthusiasm and humbleness to work in a team-based environment.”

“Additionally, fostering strong partnerships with multiple airline carriers and local stakeholders will be key to growing our commercial aviation services,” Voris said.”By expanding flight options and improving schedules, we aim to offer residents, businesses, and employers more reasons to choose local air travel, helping our community and region stay better connected to more destinations.”

The airport has struggled to boost enplanements — people getting on commercial air carriers at the airport — in recent years. Fort Smith enplanements were on a growth trend prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 95,670 in 2019. Enplanements totaled 61,409 in 2024. The last time enplanements topped 100,000 was in 2005 with 102,607. The enplanement record is 112,782 and was set in 1975.

American Airlines had four to five flights a day in 2021 but has reduced its schedule to three flights a day. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines stopped its direct service to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in July 2020.

Pendergrass, a Fort Smith-based attorney, said he plans for the process to be as transparent as possible, especially with the business community and other key users.

“We are still in the early stages of the process, and the final structure for candidate evaluation is being developed,” he said. “However, it is my hope that the airport’s broader community of stakeholders will have an opportunity to meet top candidates and provide valuable input before a final decision is made. Ideally, we would like to have a new director in place within the next three to six months. However, we recognize that the timeline may evolve as we work through the search and selection process to ensure we find the best candidate.”

Voris, a physician with Baptist Health-Fort Smith, said the commission plans to use an executive recruitment firm, with his initial estimate suggesting the fee structure would begin at around $25,000.

The candidate will be fully vetted, Pendergrass said, adding that internal candidates also will be considered.

“Safety and security are always top priorities at the Fort Smith Regional Airport,” he said. “Any director, like all airport employees, would be subject to rigorous background screening, including TSA and other federal clearances. We are committed to applying lessons from recent events to ensure the highest standards are met throughout this process.”