Melissa Cooper, A.A.E, has served as the Manager of the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport since March 2017.  Prior to her current position, she was the Field Maintenance at Kansas City International Airport, Deputy Director of the Johnson County Airport Commission serving as the Airport Manager for New Century Air Center and Johnson County Executive Airport and the Assistant Airport Manager at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Missouri.  Prior to her positions in Airport Management, she worked as a Contractor with the FAA Central Region Runway Safety Program, as a System Controller for Vanguard Airlines, and a scheduler for Executive Beechcraft.  Melissa holds her commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating.  She has a MS degree in aviation safety and a BS degree in aviation technology both from University of Central Missouri.  Melissa currently serves as the 2^nd Vice President for the Great Lakes AAAE Chapter and the President of the Missouri Airport Managers Association.

Joseph N. Miniace became the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Office of Finance and Management’s Regional Administrator for the Central Region in May 2009.  His responsibilities include representing the FAA Administrator in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska.  He provides critical aviation leadership, integration, and business services to internal and external customers, serving as an essential agency link to state and local entities to facilitate integrated planning, implementation, and execution of FAA programs and initiatives.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Miniace served as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Human Resources Management.  He began his FAA career in May 2005, as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Strategic Labor Management Relations, and is recognized as an expert in employee and management relations with a proven track record in strategic labor relations.

Previously, Mr. Miniace was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Maritime Association where he championed a ten-year strategic plan that revolutionized the west coast shipping industry, and produced a labor contract that generated cost reductions of nearly $1 billion.  He also served as the Vice President for Administration and Human Resources at the New York University Medical Center and as Group Director for Human Resources at Ryder Systems, Inc.

Mr. Miniace holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Creighton University and a Master's degree in Management from New York University.  He serves on Advisory Boards for Creighton University, Stanford University School of Law, and New York University School of Law.  He has also served on the board of directors for numerous businesses, including the California Chamber of Commerce and the Employee Benefits Research Institute.

Rebecca MacPherson is the Regional Administrator for the Great Lakes Region. She was appointed on January 8, 2018. As Regional Administrator, MacPherson serves as the principal executive representative of the FAA Administrator in the region, providing corporate leadership in crossorganizational matters and represents the FAA with industry, the public and governmental organizations. The Great Lakes Region encompasses the geographical area of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

From 2013 through 2017, MacPherson worked as a transportation attorney, first as of counsel at Jones Day and then as the principal at Rebecca B. MacPherson, Attorney at Law, PLLC. She specialized in advising clients on the impact of Federal transportation regulations on day-to-day operations, including compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations, hazardous materials regulations, airport slots, and citizenship determinations. She made guest  appearances on National Public Radio's The Diane Rehm Show and Marketplace, as well as CNBC, to discuss the
impact of FAA initiatives on unmanned aerial vehicles. She authored the chapter "The FAA's Certification and Regulatory Scheme for U.S. and Foreign Air Carriers" in the 2014 publication Aviation Regulation in the United States.

MacPherson served as the FAA's Assistant Chief Counsel for Regulations from 2004 to 2013, where she was responsible for providing legal and policy guidance to senior FAA officials on matters associated with the development of regulations governing all aspects of aviation, as well as overseeing the drafting of new and
amended regulations and the day-to-day implementation of existing standards and regulations. MacPherson routinely represented the FAA's interests before the White House and Congress. In 2012, her portfolio was expanded to include legal oversight of the FAA's international and legislative programs and initiatives.

Prior to joining the FAA, MacPherson was a regulatory attorney at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a trial attorney at the U.S. Maritime Administration. She graduated cum laude from Tulane School of Law in 1990 and magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree from Loyola University in 1986.

MacPherson is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia bars. She is a two-time recipient of the Secretary of Transportation's Gold Medal; she was named the Federal Bar Association's Transportation Attorney of the Year for 2008 and was awarded the Department of Transportation's Schneider Award for 1995.

John Speckin is the Deputy Regional Administrator for the FAA's Central Region encompassing the four States of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Mr. Speckin provides leadership for FAA programs including national initiatives on Airport Obstructions Standards, Succession Planning for the Regions & Center Operations, and Optimization, and works directly with aviation stakeholders, airport authorities, local and state government, and Members of Congress.

Mr. Speckin also served as the Aviation Logistics Organization (ALO) Acting Director where he provided executive oversight of the FAA's real and personal property assets. In that capacity, he assumed oversight for over 267,000 assets and a motor fleet of over 4,400 GSA and 218 FAA owned vehicles, 3,500 leases and led DOT's real property asset management with 62,000 assets. ALO also manages over 1.5 million square feet of administrative space and provides office design and construction.

Mr. Speckin began his career with FAA as an engineer in 1989, and was selected as the FAA's Regional St. Louis Program Manager in 1996 over the $2.6 billion expansion of the Lambert ­ St. Louis International Airport, integrating both FAA and Airport activities required to commission the new runway and other airfield improvements. In 2001, he was selected as the Terminal Planning Account Manager position with the Air Traffic Organization, where Mr. Speckin provided both tactical and strategic planning for all Central Region Terminal facilities. As Account Manager, Mr. Speckin's work involved national planning initiatives, development of sustainment models for ATCTs and TRACONs, and planning for NextGen control facilities including the larger East coast facilities. In 2007, he was selected for his current position as the Deputy Regional Manager, Central Region.

Mr. Speckin is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Kansas.