Nicholas Short, PE, PLS, Director, Division of Aviation, North Carolina Department of Transportation has announced that Tommy Mann, PE, the Aviation Division’s Eastern Lead Airport Project Manager (APM), has been promoted to Deputy Director of Airport Development.
Mann will lead the statewide airport development team, which manages programs funded through state and federal grants and ensures compliance with FAA and state regulations. He will also serve as the primary liaison coordinating projects with the FAA Airports Division and assisting with strategic and long-range planning for NCDOT Aviation.
“Tommy brings twenty years of transportation experience to this role,” noted Short. “He has completed the Fundamental Engineering Principles (FEP) and Highway Engineering Concepts (HEC) courses administered by N.C. State University Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) and is a licensed professional engineer (PE) in N.C.”
Mann joined NCDOT in 2006 and has served in a variety of engineering and safety roles across the Department, including Regional Traffic Safety Engineer, Assistant Division Traffic Engineer, Assistant Division Design Engineer, Division Traffic Engineering Technician and Roadway Construction Technician. During his tenure, he collaborated with Highway Divisions, performed traffic studies and developed effective countermeasures to improve safety outcomes.
In 2021, Mann began at NCDOT Aviation as an APM, then Senior APM, and most recently as the Eastern Lead APM. In these roles, he served as the primary point of contact for North Carolina airports on project requirements, funding eligibility and state and federal compliance, while ensuring all grant-funded projects enhance airport safety, infrastructure health and mobility. His knowledge of best practices, compliance and requirements makes him exceptionally suited for the role of Deputy Director of Airport Development.
