Iowa DOT Names Shane Wright as Aviation Director

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) has announced that Shane Wright has been named Aviation Director for the Iowa DOT’s Modal Transportation Bureau. He has been part of the Iowa DOT since 2015 and brings nearly 20 years of aviation experience that includes commercial airport management, Part 139 airport operations, fixed-base operations, and commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings. He is a graduate of the University of Dubuque Aviation Program and has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

While at the Iowa DOT, Wright has coordinated the State Aviation Program and worked with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program, airport capital improvement planning, airport land use and zoning, legislative activities, and statewide aviation system planning.

Wright assumed the role on May 18, 2026, replacing director Tim McClung, who announced his retirement after serving for 23 years with the Aviation Team.

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.