Kansas City’s newly-appointed aviation director is first woman to lead department

Melissa Cooper will be the new director of aviation for Kansas City — the first woman to lead the department that owns and operates Kansas City International and Wheeler Downtown airports, the city announced Friday.

Cooper has more than 25 years of experience, including 17 years with the aviation department, most recently as deputy director of aviation over properties and commercial development. She begins her new role on Monday, according to a news release.

She replaces Pat Klein, who retired in May after serving seven years in the position and overseeing the design and construction of Kansas City’s new $1.5 billion airport terminal.

A pilot introductory flight out of the downtown airport 30 years ago sparked her love of aviation, Cooper said in a news release.

“I have been very fortunate to foster this passion with a variety of jobs, training, and experiences within the aviation field, preparing me for the roles and responsibilities of the director of aviation,” she said in the news release.

Saying the opening of the new terminal at MCI took the strong leadership of many, Mayor Quinton Lucas said Cooper played an integral role in the project and her tenure at the aviation department will help her “hit the ground running, working to continue growing Kansas City International’s success.”

Cooper, who holds a master of science in aviation safety and a bachelor of science in aviation technology from the University of Central Missouri, first worked at KCI in the 1990s as a customer service agent for a private airline company. She was promoted to a supervisor role and eventually got into airport management.

In 2017, she was named the first female airport manager of the Wheeler Downtown Airport and in December 2021, she was promoted to deputy director of aviation.

She also was deputy director of the Johnson County Airport Commission, serving as the airport manager for NewCentury Air Center and Johnson County Executive Airport, according the the aviation department’s website.

She was honored this year with the “Women Who Move the Nation” award by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. In 2019, she was named the WTS Greater Kansas City Chapter’s “Woman of the Year.”

Cooper, who is an accredited airport executive through the American Association of Airport Executives, is currently serving as chair of the Bombardier Safety Standdown Advisory Council.

She previous served as co-chair of the Mid-America Regional Council’s aviation subcommittee and president of the Great Lakes Region of American Association of Airport Executives.

In June, she will serve on the board of directors of National American Association of Airport Executives.