The City of Riverside has named Dr. C. Daniel Prather, an aviation veteran with two decades of experience, as Airport Manager at Riverside Airport. He replaces Kim Ellis, who managed the airport for the past eight years.
Prather has served for years as a trainer, educator, speaker and author across several states in the U.S. Locally, he developed the Aviation Flight and Aviation management majors at California Baptist University, created and managed the CBU Flight School, and hired and supervised faculty and staff. He teaches several courses each semester for CBU as Professor of Aviation Science.
Prather is President of DPrather Aviation Solutions, an aviation consulting firm for which he conducts research for the Airport Cooperative Research Program and consults with airports nationwide.
“Dr. Prather’s education and experience make him highly qualified to manage Riverside Airport,” Interim City Manager Michael Moore said. “I look forward to him carrying on the tradition of excellent customer service established by Kim Ellis.”
He previously served as Assistant Director of Operations at the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority at Tampa International Airport in Florida, and as Associate Professor of Aerospace at Middle Tennessee State University. He is an Accredited Airport Executive through the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and a Certified Aviation Manager through the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). He is also an instrument-rated private pilot and a Remote Pilot with sUAS rating.
Dr. Prather holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree, a Doctor of Business Administration degree, a Master of Public Administration degree, a Master of Business Administration degree, and a Bachelor of Commercial Aviation degree. He is the author of two college-level textbooks.
“Riverside is an exceptional airport that is well-situated in Southern California for continued excellence,” Prather said. “I am excited to apply my knowledge and experience to support continued development of the airport so it can reach its full potential.”
