AAAE Presents Leadership Award to Former Transportation Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar

JOC Staff |
Alexandria, Va. --The American Association of Airport Executives recently honored the Honorable James L. Oberstar with an association Leadership Award in recognition of his decades of faithful public service and unparalleled leadership on airport and aviation policy issues.

The role that Jim Oberstar has played in making our nation's air transportation system the safest and most efficient in the world cannot be overstated, AAAE President Chip Barclay said. Over the course of his distinguished, four-decade plus career in the House of Representatives as a staff member and as an elected official, Jim played a key role in shaping virtually every policy and statute that governs the U.S. aviation system. His leadership will be missed, but his legacy lives on to the benefit of airports, the aviation industry, and the American public.

Oberstar represented Minnesota's 8th Congressional District for 36 years. He was a long-serving member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which he chaired from 2007 through 2010. Much of his work on that committee and its aviation subcommittee was dedicated to improving aviation safety and infrastructure.

In accepting the award from AAAE, Oberstar said he was deeply moved and humbled and referred to the airport community as family.

ABOUT AAAE
Founded in 1928, AAAE (www.aaae.org) is the world's largest professional organization representing the men and women who work at public-use commercial and general aviation airports. AAAE's 5,000-plus members represent some 850 airports and hundreds of companies and organizations that support the airport industry. Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., AAAE serves its membership through results-oriented representation in Washington, D.C., and delivers a wide range of industry services and professional development opportunities, including training, conferences, and a highly respected accreditation program.