SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
SELMA — Myiesha Johnson has stepped into a historic leadership role at Craig Field, becoming the first woman and first Black woman to serve as deputy director of airport operations and tenant leasing, according to the airport authority.
Her appointment, effective Oct. 5, places an Alabama native with more than a decade of aviation experience in a position connecting airport safety, business relationships and economic development in the Black Belt.
Johnson arrives with experience at commercial airports in Alabama and Texas. At Craig Field, her responsibilities include airfield operations, regulatory compliance, tenant relations, and initiatives supporting the airport and its surrounding industrial complex.
For Selma and Dallas County, those duties reach beyond the runway. Craig Field serves both aviation users and industrial businesses, making its management part of the region’s efforts to attract investment and support employers.
Johnson most recently served as airport operations supervisor at Montgomery Regional Airport, beginning in April 2022. There, she directed daily airfield and terminal activities, supported compliance with federal aviation and transportation security requirements, and supervised personnel responsible for safe, efficient operations.
Her earlier Alabama experience included supervisory and specialist positions with the Mobile Airport Authority. According to Craig Field’s leadership announcement, that work involved safety and security programs, employee training and operational compliance across Mobile’s three airports.
A Wetumpka native, Johnson began her aviation career in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She worked in the Airport Operations Center at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport before becoming an airfield operations officer at Dallas Love Field.
The progression brought her experience in communications, airfield operations and supervision before her move into Craig Field’s executive leadership.
James W. Thomas, Craig Field’s executive director, emphasized her qualifications in announcing the appointment, saying she brings operational knowledge and an understanding of relationships with employees, tenants and community partners.
“I am honored to join the Craig Field Airport & Industrial Authority,” Johnson said in the announcement reported by Alabama Political Reporter.
Her appointment comes at a facility with a long history of adapting to changing economic needs. Established in 1940 as Craig Army Air Field, the site trained military pilots before its later service as an Air Force base.
After the base was deactivated in 1977, it transitioned into a civilian aviation and industrial center. Today, the authority promotes its runway, industrial property and existing buildings as resources for business development.
Johnson joins Thomas as the authority works to strengthen operations, tenant relationships and strategic partnerships. Craig Field’s announcement identifies infrastructure investment and aviation and industrial development among its priorities.
The historic appointment puts a Black woman in a role with direct responsibility for how that work advances, combining leadership representation with the daily demands of safety, service and business development.