Jerry Perez Selected as USFS National Director of Fire and Aviation

The U.S. Forest Service has selected Jerome “Jerry” Perez to be the new National Director of Fire and Aviation Management in Washington, D.C. He is currently the Forest Supervisor of the Angeles National Forest in Southern California.

The position has been vacant, occupied by acting personnel, since Shawna Legarza retired 18 months ago, June 30, 2020. Since then, employees detailed temporarily to the job included Klamath Forest Supervisor Patty Grantham, Helena-Lewis and Clark Forest Supervisor Bill Avey, and Southwest Region Fire Director Jacob Nuttall.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.