MISSISSIPPI AIRPORTS ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Wednesday, September 18 – Friday, September 20, 2024
Cadence Bank Conference Center
Tupelo, MS

TENTATIVE AGENDA

Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 18

9:00 am – 5:00 pm: Exhibitors set up, Conference Center

11:00 am: Golf and Lunch – Tupelo National Golf Club

6:00 pm: Opening Reception – Conference Center Exhibitors Room

 

Thursday, SEPTEMBER 19

6:30 – 7:45 am: Breakfast – Exhibitors Room

8:00 – 8:08 am: “Welcome & Introductions,” Wes Kirkpatrick, President, Mississippi Airports Association

8:08 – 8:18 am:  Sponsor Presentation – Airport Management Solutions

8:18 – 9:00 am:  “MDOT and Your Airport,” Brad White, Executive Director, Mississippi Department of Transportation

9:00 – 10:00 am:  Wetlands Issues Raised by the Sackett Case,” Keith Turner, Attorney, Watkins & Eager

10:00 – 10:10 am: Sponsor Presentation – ProAm Steel Buildings

10:10 – 10:40 am: Break – Exhibitors Room

10:30 am: Spouses/Guests depart for Toyota Plant Tour and Lunch

10:40 – 11:40 am: “Identifying and Dealing with Venomous Snakes,” Emily Field, State Herpetologist, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks“

11:40 – 11:42 am: Sponsor Presentation – JBHM Architecture

11:45 am – 1:15 pm: Lunch – Exhibitors Room, Matt Wyatt, Matt Wyatt Media

1:15 – 2:15 pm:  “Airport Security – Physical and Virtual,” Tara Ford, Federal Bureau of Investigation

2:15 – 2:17 pm: Sponsor Presentation – Rebel Services

2:17 – 2:45 pm: Break – Exhibitors Room

2:45 – 3:25 pm: “UAS Updates & New Considerations for Ag Spraying,” Madison Dixon, Associate Director, MSU Agricultural Autonomy Institute

3:30 – 5:00 pm: FAA One on Ones

3:30 – 4:45 pm: Board Meeting

5:30 – 8:00 pm: Party at Tupelo Airport – Buses departing from Hotel Tupelo and Hilton Garden Inn

 

Friday, SEPTEMBER 20

6:30 – 7:45 am: Breakfast – Exhibitors Room

8:00 – 8:30 am: General Membership Meeting

8:30 – 8:40 am: Mississippi Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell

8:40 – 8:42 am: Sponsor Presentation – Michael Baker International

8:42 – 9:25 am: “Elevating Mississippi: The Future of Aerospace and Defense,” Sara Doss, Executive Director, Aerospace and Defense Alliance of Mississippi

9:25 – 10:10 am: “AOPA’s Aviation Advocacy,” Stacey Heaton, Southern Regional Manager, Airport Owners and Pilots Association

10:10 – 10:20 am:  Sponsor Presentation – Jackson Municipal Airport Authority

10:20 – 10:40 am:  Break – Exhibitors Room

10:40 – 11:10 am: “Leveraging Funding Opportunities for GA Airports,” Mike Forster, President, Winston Louisville County Airport Board

11:10 – 11:25 am:  “What the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Can Do for Your Airport,” Mike Hainsey, ACRP Ambassador

11:25 – 11:40 am:  “MDOT Aeronautics Report,” Josh Stubbs, Director of Aeronautics and Rails, Mississippi Department of Transportation

11:40 – 11:55 am: “FAA Report,” Will Schuller, Jackson Airports District Office Assistant Manager, Federal Aviation Administration

11:55 am – 12:10 pm: “Legislative Report” Jeff Wagner, Shareholder, Baker Donelson

12:10 – 12:25 pm: “TSA Report” Kim Jackson, Federal Security Director of Mississippi, Transportation Security Administration

12:25 – 12:30 pm: “Closing Remarks” Wes Kirkpatrick, President, Mississippi Airports Association