Mayor Ford taps Birmingham airport supervisor to lead Gadsden Airport
Gadsden, AL – On Friday, Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford announced his appointment of Anthony Tarver as the city’s new airport manager. Tarver, a licensed pilot and resident of Etowah County, is currently the airport operations supervisor at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.
“I am excited about Anthony’s ability to help us develop our airport into the gem we know it can be,” said Ford. “With his experience and training in airport leadership, we have an in- house expert who can advise the airport authority, develop customer relations, and build an aviation-based vision at our airport.”
Tarver earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Missouri, where he studied aviation management and is a certified airport security coordinator (ASC). His career in airport operations has included roles at Greeley-Weld County Airport (GXY) in Greeley, Colorado, Treasure Coast International Airport (FPR) in Fort Pierce, Florida, and Martin County Airport (Witham Field) in Stuart, Florida.
As a native of the Birmingham region, Tarver and his wife, who is an early childhood educator, chose to locate in Etowah County. They currently reside in Glencoe and have two children. Immediately upon taking office, Mayor Ford asked his staff and the Gadsden Airport Authority to put together a search effort to install an executive leader at the airport. The search committee consisted of three airport authority board members, two city employees, and one third-party airport consultant.
After a search process that invited more than 30 applicants from throughout the nation, the committee interviewed three individuals from which Mayor Ford selected Tarver. Mr. Tarver is set to take the helm of the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport on Aug. 4, 2023, and says he looks forward to getting to know the pilots, users, stakeholders, and community of the airport.
“One thing I know is airports,” said Tarver. “I’ve been around them all my life. But to be able to lead this one into the future, with the support of the mayor, council, and airport board, is the honor of my life. I look forward to waking up every day and finding out what the Gadsden Airport team and I can do to improve and enhance the experience, operations, and reputation of our little slice of heaven right here in Gadsden. That’s why I want to do this.