Mayor Nominates Vanessa Emlich for Airport Authority Board
Published on August 22, 2023
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird today announced her nomination of Vanessa Emlich to fill a vacancy on the Lincoln Airport Authority Board. If approved by the City Council, she would replace Nick Cusick, who resigned his seat in July. Emlich would serve the remainder of Cusick’s term, which expires in May 2025.
“Vanessa’s desire to support strategic innovations and good governance of the airport, coupled with her commitment to public service, make her the best candidate for this vacancy,” Mayor Gaylor Baird said. “The Lincoln Airport is vital to Lincoln’s economy and high quality of life, supporting over $1.3 billion in annual economic activity and 8,000 jobs. Vanessa shares my administration’s commitment to its success.”
Emlich works as the Director of Pharmacy Audit for Prime Therapeutics and previously worked for Lufthansa Airlines. She has more than 20 years of team-building and strategic planning experience and coordinated with government, nonprofit, faith-based, and private sector entities to establish youth programs in southeast Nebraska that received local, state, and federal funding.
She has served on the board of directors of the Mental Health Association of Nebraska for almost nine years. She also ran for a seat on the Lincoln Airport Authority during the 2023 election, earning over 26,000 votes and finishing as first-runner-up in the race for two open seats. Emlich has a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Dakota School of Business, a Master of Arts from the University of Surrey, and a Bachelor of Arts from Humboldt State University.
“I look forward to applying my experience in the airline industry and operations to service on the Lincoln Airport Authority board,” said Emlich. “I hope to use my unique background and skillset to expand opportunities for Lincoln and surrounding area residents to travel to other parts of the country and world.”
“Her past involvement in nonprofit boards, collaborative efforts across a variety of entities and a background in strategic planning initiatives provide an outstanding foundation for service on the Authority Board,” said David Haring, Lincoln Airport Authority Executive Director. “Throughout her campaign earlier this year, Vanessa demonstrated her willingness and desire to truly understand the present strengths of the Airport as well as the challenges facing it in the future by taking the time to meet with existing Airport Authority Board members and senior staff. This dedication and eagerness to learn will serve the Airport Authority well as the Lincoln Airport looks to continue its recent momentum and exciting growth.”
“As I leave the Airport Authority Board, I continue to be dedicated to their future success,” Cusick said. “I had the opportunity to meet Vanessa when she was running for the Board early in the year. I was impressed with her research of the topics and great questions. I believe she will make a great addition to the Lincoln Airport Authority Board.”
The Lincoln Airport Authority is governed by a five-member Board of Directors who are elected for six-year terms. The Authority maintains operates the 5,500-acre airport and a 1,000-acre industrial park that includes industrial, manufacturing and warehousing tenants. The airport has approximately 85 employees including its own police force, as well as customer service, facilities and maintenance, and administrative personnel.
More information is available at lincolnairport.com.