Friday, 30 June 2023 04:25 PM
Company Update
ALEXANDRIA, VA / ACCESSWIRE / June 30, 2023 / The Aerospace States Association (ASA) has elected Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser of Louisiana to Vice Chair and Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears of Virginia to Secretary. Lt. Governors Nungesser and Earle-Sears will join the leadership team of Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera of Colorado (National Chair) and Michael Heil of Ohio (Treasurer).
"I am excited to welcome Lt. Governors Nungesser and Earle-Sears to the Aerospace States Association leadership team. They each bring valuable perspectives which will help the Association continue to advance our mission of supporting the Aerospace community and expanding industry opportunities nationwide," said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera of Colorado, National Chair of the ASA.
Billy Nungesser is the 54th Lieutenant Governor. Lt. Governor Nungesser returned to work as a public servant from retirement as a successful business owner to serve two terms as Plaquemines Parish President. People remember Lt. Governor Nungesser as the voice of Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in 2005. He again became a national spokesperson for the unmet needs of the Gulf Coast in 2010 after the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion occurred, one of the worst man-made disasters in U.S. history.
"Louisiana is an aerospace state. We are home to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility and are building our nation's next rocket system to the Moon and Mars. Our airports transport millions of passengers annually, our citizens and farmers depend on GPS navigation and weather satellite systems, our offshore oil industry depends on helicopter aviation, our emergency services now use drone technology in ways never fathomed during Hurricane Katrina, and much more. It is for these reasons, I am excited to take on this new position and announce that New Orleans will host the 2024 ASA Annual Meeting and 5th State Aerospace Policy Summit," said Lt. Governor Nungesser of Louisiana, National Vice Chairman of the ASA.
Winsome Earle-Sears, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, immigrated to the United States at the age of six. She is proud to have served in the United States Marine Corps. Winsome was first elected in 2002 to a majority Black House of Delegates district, a first for a Republican in Virginia since 1865. She is the first female Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the first Black female elected to statewide office. She holds a B.A. in English with a minor in Economics, and an M.A. in Organizational Leadership, with a concentration in Government.
"The Commonwealth is built for today's aerospace economy. In doing so, Virginia has created a robust transportation (spaceports included) and electrical infrastructure while facilitating an exceptional education system, both at k-12 and into the advanced degrees. Our Commonwealth is home to NASA Langley Research Center, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), an FAA Drone test site and multiple military installations. On top of that, the Old Dominion is one of only three states that launch to the International Space Station. Virginians have always led our nation into the bright unknown, and we are continuing to do so in aerospace. I am excited to take on this new position, and delighted to announce that Virginia will host the 2025 ASA Annual Meeting and 6th State Aerospace Policy Summit," said Lt. Governor Earle-Sears of Virginia, National Secretary of the ASA.
Lt. Governor Nungesser's term will complete the term of past ASA Vice Chair, Lt. Governor Kevin Meyer of Alaska, who decided not to run for reelection in Alaska. Lt. Governor Earle-Sears will complete the term of Amy Hudnall (Georgia Lt. Governor Appointee) who retired.
About the Aerospace States Association
The Aerospace States Association (ASA) is a non-partisan 501c (3) organization comprised of Lieutenant Governors, Governor appointed delegates, state legislators, territorial and tribal government representatives and associate members from aerospace organizations and academia working to advance aerospace and aviation in member states and throughout the nation. ASA is the only aerospace advocacy organization promoting State based perspectives in federal aerospace & aviation policy development. Visit www.aerostates.org for more information on the Aerospace States Association.
Press Contact:
Ross B. Garelick Bell
Executive Director
703-402-6304
SOURCE: Aerospace States Association