{"id":23415,"date":"2022-09-17T12:27:49","date_gmt":"2022-09-17T12:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=23415"},"modified":"2022-09-17T12:27:51","modified_gmt":"2022-09-17T12:27:51","slug":"nasao-concludes-91st-annual-convention-announces-2022-award-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/national-news\/nasao-concludes-91st-annual-convention-announces-2022-award-winners\/%20","title":{"rendered":"NASAO Concludes 91st Annual Convention, Announces 2022 Award Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO)\nsuccessfully concluded its 2022 Annual Convention and Tradeshow in Greenville,\nSC with 38 State aviation leaders and 43 exhibitors participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“State aviation leaders and their partners from the\nFAA, other aviation associations and the private sector gathered in record\nnumbers this week,\u201d said Greg Pecoraro, NASAO President and CEO. \u201cNASAO\u2019s\nlargest annual meeting ever provided everyone a unique opportunity to discuss\nthe future of the industry, explore best practices, and share experiences.\nAviation emerges from the pandemic into rapid growth and the opportunity to\nwelcome emerging technologies that will transform how Americans access the\naviation system. We\u2019re looking forward to a new year for NASAO of increased\nengagement across aviation and with aviation policymakers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Shannetta Griffin<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The convention sessions addressed a variety of topics\nincluding integrating uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) into the national\nairspace system, preparing for advanced air mobility (AAM) operations, and\naddressing aviation workforce development challenges. Key convention events\nincluded luncheon keynote session with Steve Townes, CEO & Founder Ranger\nAerospace & President & CEO, ACL Airshop; an update from Washington\nwith FAA Associate Administrator for Airports, Shannetta Griffin; announcement\nof the 2022 NASAO award winners; and election of the 2022-2023 NASAO Board of\nDirectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASAO looks forward to hosting next year’s convention at the\nEmbassy Suites, Northwest Arkansas Hotel, Spa & Convention Center in\nRogers, AK, from September 9-13, 2023, followed by Pennsylvania in 2024!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022 NASAO Awards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the convention, NASAO leadership named the recipients\nof the 2022 NASAO Awards, which honors state and individual contributions to\naviation. The 2022 NASAO Award winners are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Innovative State Program Award: <\/strong>Aerospace & Aviation Education Program – Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission (OAC)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Grayson Ardies OAC Director, right, accepts the Most Innovative State Program Award from NASAO President, Greg Pecoraro. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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 Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission for its\nAerospace and Aviation Education Program, which has impacted thousands of\nstudents with varying levels of awareness, exposure, and certification to better\nprepare them for a career in the aviation and aerospace industry in Oklahoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State Aviation Distinguished Service Award: <\/strong>Mike McHugh, Aviation Education Coordinator, North Dakota Aeronautics Commission<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mike McHugh\u00c2\u00a0(left), with N.D. Aeronautics Commission Director, Kyle Wanner).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The award recognizes and honors state aviation personnel who\nhave excelled in their service and dedication to aviation progress and\ndevelopment in their state. This year, NASAO recognized Mike McHugh for leading\ninitiatives that enhance and advocate for aviation education throughout the\nstate of North Dakota. His work has included creating an aviation education\nscholarship program, forming collaborative partnerships with multiple school\nsystems to establish new high school aviation programs, establishing an annual\nCareer Day Expo for high school students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASAO Center Aviation Education Program Award:<\/strong> Virginia Education and Outreach Program<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Greg Campbell, left, director of the Virginia Department of Aviation, accepting the award from Anthony McCloskey, Director, Bureau of Aviation, Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation.<\/em>) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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 Department of Virginia’s Education and\nOutreach Program conducts outreach and education support to elementary, middle\nand high school students, with an emphasis on underserved groups. The program\nhas partnered with local organizations to provide education and operational\nsupport for 1,000 Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol cadets, help fund high\nschool students gain flight time hours, send over 300 students to the NextGen\nAviator’s program that provides hands-on experiential learning on aircraft\nengine maintenance, among many other efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASAO Board Chair’s Award:<\/strong> Mike McHugh, Aviation Education Coordinator, North Dakota Aeronautics Commission<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
\u00c2\u00a0Mike McHugh (right), is congratulated by NASAO Chair, Anthony McCloskey.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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, Mike McHugh, Chair of the NASAO Center for Aviation\nResearch and Education, was Mike McHugh, Chair of NASAO Center for Aviation\nResearch and Education, was recognized for leading the development of a\nstrategic plan, which establishes a vision and goals for the Center to achieve\nover the next several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASAO President’s Award: <\/strong>Shahn Sederberg, Communications & Multimedia Manager, Division of Aeronautics, Colorado Department of Transportation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Shahn Sederberg (right), is congratulated by NASAO President Greg Pecoraro.)<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Each year, the NASAO President & CEO selects a recipient\nbased on their outstanding contribution to the association and support of the\nPresident’s initiatives. This year, Shahn Sederberg was recognized for his\nunmatched contribution to NASAO\u2019s graphics and multimedia activities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) successfully concluded its 2022 Annual Convention and Tradeshow in Greenville, SC with 38 State aviation leaders and 43 exhibitors participating. “State aviation leaders and their partners from the FAA, other aviation associations and the private sector gathered in record numbers this week,\u201d said Greg Pecoraro, NASAO President […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23415","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=23415"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23423,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23415\/revisions\/23423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}