XNA Director Elected Chair of National Group

by Talk Business & Politics ([email protected]) 75 views 

Kelly Johnson, airport director at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, has been elected as the 2011-2012 chair of the American Association of Airport Executives.

“I’m very honored and humbled,” Johnson said. “Not many people get a chance to do this.”

AAAE was founded in 1928 and is the largest professional organization representing those who work at public-use commercial and general aviation airports. It has more than 5,000 members who represent about 850 airports and hundreds of companies and organizations that support the airport industry.

Johnson is the second Arkansan to hold the position of chair, and just the fifth woman. She has been a member of AAAE since 1986.

As chair, Johnson will run AAAE board meetings, testify before Congress as needed, and generally lead the group’s effort to “improve the environment for airports and aviation.”

The AAAE, headquartered in Alexandria, Va., has more than 90 employees and an annual budget of about $3 million.