{"id":19473,"date":"2021-09-23T14:00:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T14:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=19473"},"modified":"2021-09-23T14:03:34","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T14:03:34","slug":"nasao-concludes-successful-90th-annual-convention-announces-2021-award-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/national-news\/nasao-concludes-successful-90th-annual-convention-announces-2021-award-winners\/%20","title":{"rendered":"NASAO Concludes Successful 90th Annual Convention, Announces 2021 Award Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Photo above &#8211; Tina Wilson, Aviation Development Program Supervisor with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, received NASAO&#8217;s Distinguished Service Award. Tina is flanked by Brad Brandt, left, Aviation Division Director, and Greg Pecoraro, NASAO President and CEO. All photos courtesy of Shahn Sederberg, Colorado Dept. of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO)\nconcluded its 2021 Annual Convention and Tradeshow in Colorado Springs, CO on\nThursday, September 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After 18 months of virtual engagement, NASAO members safely\ngathered for the association\u2019s first in-person event since the 2020 Washington\nConference, in February of that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With more than 270 individuals registered and representation\nfrom 31 states, NASAO leadership dubbed the event a success. \u201cState aviation\nleaders and their partners from across the country enjoyed gathering in a safe\nand monitored environment to discuss the most important issues facing our\nindustry,\u201d said Greg Pecoraro, NASAO President and CEO. \u201cIt was a great\nopportunity to discuss best practices and explore paths forward out of the\npandemic into a future for aviation powered by emerging technologies and\nenvironmentally sustainable operations. We\u2019re looking forward to an engaging\nand productive year ahead with our newly elected Board.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The convention sessions addressed a variety of topics\nincluding airline industry sustainability, the Future of Aviation and Airport\nElectrification, and UAM development. Key convention events included luncheon\nKeynote session with Col. (Ret) John Manzi, USAF; an update from Washington\nwith FAA Associate Administrator for Airports, Shannetta Griffin; and election\nof the 2021-2022 NASAO Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2021 NASAO Awards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the convention, NASAO leadership named the recipients\nof the 2021 NASAO Awards, which honors state and individual contributions to\naviation. The 2021 NASAO Award winners are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Most Innovative State Program Award<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Aviation Board Training- Pennsylvania Bureau of Aviation, Department of Transportation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6671-edit-647x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19475\" width=\"152\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6671-edit-647x1024.jpg 647w, https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6671-edit-190x300.jpg 190w, https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6671-edit.jpg 824w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 152px) 100vw, 152px\" \/><figcaption><em>PennDOT Aviation Bureau Director, Anthony McCloskey accepts the award on behalf of the Department<\/em>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The award recognizes truly unique and service-oriented state\naviation programs, projects, and activities. Many innovative aviation programs\nthat began at the state level have spread to other states or in some cases have\nbeen adopted or accepted by the federal government and the aviation community.\nThis year, NASAO recognized the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation\n(PennDOT) for their newly established training program designed to educate\nairport board members to better understand their airport&#8217;s role within the\nPennsylvania airport system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>State Aviation Distinguished Service Award<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Tina Wilson, Aviation Development Program Supervisor, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The award recognizes and honors state aviation personnel who have excelled in their service and dedication to aviation progress and development in their state. This year, NASAO recognized Tina Wilson (See photo at top) for her leadership, dedication and hard work. Among other achievements, Ms. Wilson implemented new strategic planning tools that have helped to promote aviation safety and manage airport profitably within Louisiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>NASAO Center Aviation Education Program Award<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Utah Rotor Pathway Program<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6574-edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19474\" width=\"221\" height=\"218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6574-edit.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6574-edit-300x296.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6574-edit-60x60.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 221px) 100vw, 221px\" \/><figcaption> <em>&nbsp;Jared Esselman, left, Director, Utah Dept. of Transportation, Aeronautical Operations Division, accepts the award from Anthony McCloskey<\/em>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The NASAO Center for Aviation Research and Education\nestablished an annual Aviation Education Program Award in 1993 to recognize the\nefforts of the state aviation agencies educating and motivating the public with\naviation-related education programs. The Utah Rotor Pathway Program brings\ntogether industry, universities, and high schools to provide both helicopter pilot\nand maintenance training at the high school level. The program has grown to 32\nschools in 13 of the state\u2019s 29 counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>NASAO Board Chair&#8217;s Award<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Steve Brian, Manager of Aviation Programs, Georgia Department of Transportation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each year, the Chair of the NASAO Board selects a recipient\nbased on their outstanding contribution to the association and support of the\nBoard Chair. This year, Steve Brian, Chair of NASAO\u2019s Block Grant Committee,\nwas recognized for leading the 10 Block Grant States\u2019 engagement with the FAA\nand for facilitating information sharing and best practices among the states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>NASAO President&#8217;s Award<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Melanie Alvord, Director of Federal Affairs, Texas Department of Transportation&nbsp;<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each year, the NASAO President &amp; CEO selects a recipient\nbased on their outstanding contribution to the association and support of the\nPresident&#8217;s initiatives. This year, Melanie Alvord was recognized for her\ncontribution to NASAO\u2019s government affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASAO will start accepting nominations for the 2022 awards in June. Learn more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/nasao.org\/page\/Awards\">NASAO Awards<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASAO looks forward to hosting next year&#8217;s conference in\nGreenville, SC, from September 11-14, 2022, followed by Rogers, AK in 2023!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo above &#8211; Tina Wilson, Aviation Development Program Supervisor with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, received NASAO&#8217;s Distinguished Service Award. Tina is flanked by Brad Brandt, left, Aviation Division Director, and Greg Pecoraro, NASAO President and CEO. All photos courtesy of Shahn Sederberg, Colorado Dept. of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics.&nbsp; The National Association [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19479,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-front-page-slider","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_6664-edit-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19473"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19480,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19473\/revisions\/19480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}