Board of Governors Selects New Leader for the Airport Authority

February 27th, 2018 | Airport News

The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority (LNAA) today selected Thomas R. Stoudt as Executive Director of the LNAA effective February 2018. Stoudt has been serving in the same role on an interim basis since the departure of former Executive Director Charles R. Everett Jr.  Everett was named Deputy Director of Aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey last summer.

“I am honored to help lead this organization and achieve our overall vision of being the best regional airport system in North America,” said Thomas R. Stoudt, Executive Director, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority.  “We’ve made significant progress with positioning this Airport system for future growth and success; it’s an exciting time to be part of the LNAA family.”

The Airport Authority Board of Governors conducted a five-month national search and reviewed over 50 resumes for the position.

“It wasn’t an easy decision due to a number of high quality candidates, so the selection committee didn’t rush the process,” said J. Michael Dowd, Chairman, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority Board of Governors. “Tom demonstrated strong leadership skills during his short time as interim director, and the Board feels extremely confident the Airport will continue to thrive under his direction in the future.”

Tom has spent over twenty-two years with the Airport Authority, beginning as a baggage handler and an intern with the Authority.  He previously worked in Operations, Planning and Engineering for the Authority, and in the past five years, Tom served as Director of Operations and Safety.  He was the primary liaison to federal and state aviation operations and safety organizations; such as: Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), USDA Wildlife Services and PENNDOT Bureau of Aviation.  Tom is the principal Airport Security Coordinator (ASC) for ABE and directs the development and implementation of the Airport Security Program (ASP) and the Airport Certification Manual (ACM) for ABE in accordance with Federal Regulations.

In 1995, Tom earned his Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  He also holds an FAA Airframe & Powerplant License and an Associate of Science in Aircraft Maintenance from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  Tom received his Airplane Single-Engine Land Private Pilot Flight Theory at Lehigh Carbon Community College and earned a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certificate from Pennsylvania State University.

Tom is a board member of the Aviation Council of Pennsylvania, a member of the Operations, Safety, Planning & Emergency Management Committee of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the Operations & Technical Affairs Committee, Operations & Safety Working Group and the Public Safety and Security Committee of Airports Council International-North America (ACI/NA).

The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority owns and operates a three-airport system, including Lehigh Valley International and Queen City Airports in Allentown and Braden Airpark in Forks Township, Pennsylvania.

Tom and his wife Allison reside in South Whitehall Township, PA.