Major: Airport Management
Year of Graduation: 1999 Current Position: Manager of the Jamestown Regional Airport Hometown: Bismarck, ND

Following graduation I went to work as an intern at the Cheyenne Regional Airport for the summer. While there, I landed a job in the operations division at the Roanoke Regional Airport and worked as an operations officer. I decided after a couple of years at Roanoke to further my education. I was accepted into a program in California and earned my masters degree from California State University, Long Beach. Shortly after my completion of my masters, a past colleague from both the University of North Dakota and from Roanoke Regional Airport told me that he was vacating the position in Jamestown and asked me to apply. I applied, interviewed and was offered the job in December of 2004. I began working in February 2005.

I really enjoy the daily challenges of my job and the diversity of my day. There is never a dull moment being the airport manager. In day, I may be writing an emergency plan, hiring a new employee, and plowing snow (all before lunch).

It provided me with a solid knowledge base of the industry and the regulations, which governed the industry. But most importantly, it provided the opportunity for networking with my peers and my teachers which has helped me more than anything in my career. I can honestly say that it was my affiliation with UND which helped me to land my first two jobs.

Stay focused by remembering and working toward your long-term goals. Make sure to have fun with what you are learning. And the two things which helped me the most were: my internships and belonging to an organization, such as AAAE, which shared my long-term goals. So do at least one internship/coop while still in school and become active in an organization that is in line with your career goals.