The public will have an opportunity to meet two Yakima Airport Director finalists during an open house from 10:00 am to 11:00 am on Monday, December 8th. It will be held at the Yakima Airport office, 2406 W. Washington Avenue, Suite B.
The finalists are Robert Jacobs and Christopher Hopkins. In addition to the public open house, they will also meet with airport staff on Monday and later be interviewed by City Manager Vicki Baker and Assistant City Manager Gary Ballew.
Mr. Jacobs is currently the manager of airside operations for the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority in Memphis. Before being promoted to his current position, Mr. Jacobs served as operations duty manager for the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority for about two decades. His career has also included operational roles at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, the Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport, and the Orlando International Airport. He is an Accredited Airport Executive and Airport Certified Employee. Mr. Jacobs is also a former FAA-certified flight instructor and commercial pilot.
Mr. Hopkins most recently served as a consultant developing Aerospace Center of Excellence locations at U.S. airports. Prior to that, he was assistant director of aviation at the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport. He was a vice president – aviation and government services for HSS, Inc., a provider of airport aviation security services. In that role, Mr. Hopkins provided oversight of security teams at Denver International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, and Milwaukee Mitchel International Airport. He also was chief operation officer of Wings Over the Rockies-Exploration of Flight, a campus in Denver that educates people about the world of aerospace.
The City’s Human Resources Department oversaw a nationwide search for a new airport director for the City of Yakima. The search began a few days after the resignation of the former airport director.
The two finalists were chosen from the original pool of applicants after a screening process and interviews of three semi-finalists conducted by some of the City’s senior staff members.
The city manager expects to make a hiring decision soon, with the intent that the new airport director could start his tenure with the City of Yakima near the beginning of January or shortly thereafter. However, the start date for the new airport director will depend on his availability, relocation plans, etc.
