A nationally recognized authority in airport administration and management has been named to fill the City of Prescott Airport Manager positon.
She is Robin Sobotta, Ph.D., and a longtime professor and department chair, and more recently, assistant dean at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott (ERAU).
Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli said of Sobotta’s appointment, “She brings tremendous experience and a track record of dedication to the Prescott area.”
Agreeing with Mengarelli was ERAU Chancellor Frank Ayers.
“This is a great opportunity for the university, the city and especially Dr. Sobotta,” Ayers said. “We are so pleased to share her experience with the community as we grow Love Field into a more dynamic and vital regional airport.”
The announcement from the city says that Sobotta will be on loan from the university through the summer of 2019.
Sobotta has substantial experience in working with Ernest A. Love Field. She previously served on the airport’s master plan committee and had been a member of the mayor’s ad hoc airport planning committee.
She fills a vacancy that was created in August 2016 when then-airport manager John Cox left to return to his home in Phoenix. In the meantime, Jessie R. Baker has served as interim airport manager. She will remain assistant director.
Baker says of Sobotta’s appointment, “I am thrilled that Dr. Sobotta signed on to be our director. I have worked with her for the past couple of years. She is heavily involved in several airport projects, including the airport master plan. Sobotta is an incredibly accomplished woman and also a wonderful teacher.”
Sobotta earned a Ph.D. in public administration from Arizona State University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in aviation from ERAU. An accredited airport executive, she is the author of “Administration of Public Airports,” and many other professional articles for prestigious publications.