Regional Airport Honored for Leadership and Modernization in Wyoming

The Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (RKS) and its dedicated team have been recognized with multiple prestigious honors this month for their outstanding innovation, leadership, and contributions to aviation in Wyoming and beyond.

At the Wyoming Airports Coalition’s Annual Conference in Jackson, the airport and its staff received two of the organization’s highest honors:

• Aviation Achievement Award – Shannon Lucero, C.M.
  Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport’s Operations & Business Manager, Shannon Lucero, was recognized with the Aviation Achievement Award, which honors individuals who have made substantial efforts toward the promotion, operation, and development of aviation in their community or across the state.

Lucero, who joined the airport in 2011 and serves as acting director in the director’s absence, was nominated for her exceptional leadership, steady guidance, and behind-the-scenes impact that has been vital to the airport’s success during a decade of transformative growth. Her colleagues describe her as “the glue that binds the organization together,” noting her role in financial integrity, grants administration, and mentoring others in the aviation industry.

• Airport Project of the Year – Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport Commercial Terminal Modernization Project
  The airport’s $43-million terminal rehabilitation and expansion was named the Wyoming Airports Coalition’s Project of the Year, an award that recognizes projects demonstrating innovative design, community involvement, unique funding, and game-changing improvements to airport operations.

The new terminal—more than doubling the original footprint—introduces the airport’s first passenger boarding bridge, expanded security screening and baggage handling areas, and modern passenger amenities. The project was delivered through a creative funding model covering over 97% of costs with federal and state support, minimizing local burden while maximizing regional benefit.

“This project represents a new era for air travel in southwest Wyoming,” said Devon Brubaker, Airport Director. “It’s more than an airport—it’s a symbol of progress, resilience, and regional pride.”