2025 Airport Business Top 40 Under 40: Teresa (Tess) Cook C.M.

• Hometown: Lexington, KY
• Alma Mater: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Prescott, Arizona
• One Airport that Inspires You: Columbus Municipal Airport (BAK)

At just 27, Teresa Cook manages six general aviation airports across San Bernardino County, bringing energy, vision, and tenacity to a role that few professionals take on so early in their careers. After leading Vermilion Regional Airport in Illinois, she now oversees Apple Valley, Needles, Twentynine Palms, Barstow-Daggett, and Baker airports—responsibilities that span safety, operations, and community engagement.

Cook’s record is defined by action and results. At Vermilion, she authored the airport’s first-ever Emergency Plan, spearheaded a comprehensive airport code, and pushed through the first update to the airport’s bylaws since 1997. She also earned a seat on the Illinois Public Airports Association Board at age 26, demonstrating early leadership at the state level. Since moving to California, she has continued to deliver, completing the Department of Airports’ Emergency Operations Plan within her first month and leading planning for the Apple Valley Airshow, which attracts thousands annually. She is also advocating to replace outdated microtower systems, pressing for safety and communication improvements that could set a precedent for rural airports nationwide.

For Cook, the people in aviation remain her biggest motivator. “Hearing people’s backstories and connections to aviation keeps me motivated,” she said. “It’s a tight community with a wide variety of journeys, and such an important history told only through word of mouth by the people who live and breathe it.” That perspective drives her commitment to making airports safer, more reliable, and better prepared for the future—while mentoring others with the same encouragement she has received.