Jesse Romo, Division of Aviation Director for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), will be stepping down from this current position in April to begin calling the plays as Airport Director for the City of Manhattan, Kansas on April 27th.
Romo, who started working for KDOT in January 2006, previously served as deputy director of aviation, manager of federal and state affairs for aviation and assistant office chief in the office of management and budget for KDOT. “This is an exciting time of growth and opportunity for the city of Manhattan and the airport,” said Romo. “While I’ll miss the state aviation office, I’m going to continue to serve the Kansas aviation community, just in a different role and capacity.”
City Manager Ron R. Fehr, in announcing the appointment, said that he was extremely pleased to bring someone on with the breadth of aviation experience and proven, hands-on experience working with airports in Kansas as Jesse has. “Jesse’s energy and experience with marketing and public relations will certainly enhance customer service to encourage travelers to use or increase their usage of MHK,” said Fehr. “Jesse will be an asset to the city’s management team, to the community and region, as well as meeting the aviation needs of our regional partners and the Flint Hills region as we continue to improve MHK to a higher standard of service and quality.”
Romo said he looks forward to continuing his relationship with Kansas airports, the FAA and other stakeholders. “After working with 138 public-use airports across the state, I finally get to call one of them home.”
Romo, who also served as director of airport support network for Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in Frederick, Maryland, is a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives, ex-officio member of the Kansas Commission on Aerospace Education and is a commercial pilot. He began his airport experience at the Burbank, California airport and received a master of business administration degree in aviation and human resources management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2004.
Manhattan Municipal Airport (MHK) is a Class I, Part 139 commercial service airport providing commercial airline and General Aviation (GA) services to customers in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. MHK recently completed phase one of a two-phased passenger terminal expansion project, which addresses a shortfall in passenger terminal size and amenities caused by significant growth in commercial passengers realized with the start of American Airlines service to Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago O’Hare airports. In 2014, more than 125,000 passengers passed through the existing terminal. GA services at MHK include air charter, flight instruction, air photo, major aircraft maintenance, aircraft refueling, tie-down, and aircraft storage. For additional information about Manhattan Regional Airport, visit FlyMHK.com.
