Mar. 15—A Washington State Department of Transportation senior planner with civilian and military aviation experience has been hired as the Yakima Air Terminal director.
Robert Hodgman will begin at the Yakima airport this Thursday, city officials said Wednesday. The position had been filled by two interim managers since November 2021.
"I'm looking forward to applying my experience to the Yakima Air Terminal," Hodgman said in the city's news release. "The Yakima Air Terminal is an important part of the Yakima area economy and has so much potential to be an even larger factor."
City Manager Bob Harrison said Hodgman brings a wealth of experience in a wide range of aviation disciplines to the job.
"Rob honed his leadership and management skills during a distinguished military career and has continued to expand his aviation expertise. That depth and breadth of knowledge will serve the city of Yakima and the Yakima Air Terminal well," Harrison said in the release.
Among Hodgman's duties at WSDOT was serving as a nonvoting member of the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission, the state Legislature-appointed group tasked with recommending a new site for a regional airport as the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport nears its passenger capacity.
Earlier this year, Hodgman provided an update on the CACC process to Washington State Transportation Commission members and noted Yakima's interest in being considered as part of the regional airport selection process.
Background
Hodgman graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He joined the U.S. Army that same year and had multiple aviation assignments. In 1997, he became a member of the Washington Army National Guard, again fulfilling multiple aviation assignments.
He graduated from Saint Martin's University with a master's degree in business administration in 2003 and became the financial resource and budget manager for the Washington Army National Guard. Two years later, Hodgman became the Guard's deputy construction and facilities management officer. From 2011 to 2012, he served as the Washington Air National Guard's contracting officer representative/project manager.
In 2012, Hodgman joined the WSDOT aviation staff as the state capital improvement program manager. Later that year, he moved into his most recent WSDOT role as aviation senior planner.
Hodgman has been active and served in leadership positions with various aviation-related organizations. These groups include the Washington Airport Management Association, the Washington State Community Airport Association, the National Association of State Aviation Officials, the Central Washington University Aviation Advisory Board, the WSDOT Freight Working Group, the Washington Pilots Association and several others.
The most recent Yakima Air Terminal director was Rob Peterson, who resigned in November 2021 for a job in North Carolina.
Jaime Vera, airport operations and maintenance manager for the Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field, temporarily filled the director role until January of this year when Bob Stewart, a former Yakima fire chief, stepped in as interim airport director.
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