After more than 28 years of dedicated public service to the Clark County Department of Aviation, Director Rosemary Vassiliadis will retire on September 12.
She was appointed as the first female director of aviation in 2013 after nearly 16 years as deputy director. Under her leadership, the airport has seen numerous milestones, including three consecutive years of record-breaking passenger numbers. The airport system, consisting of not just Harry Reid International, but also four general aviation facilities — Henderson Executive and North Las Vegas Airports, Jean Sport Aviation Center, and Overton-Perkins Field — has grown into a $35 billion economic engine.
Her career has been defined by groundbreaking initiatives, including a first-of-its-kind partnership with the TSA that made LAS home to the nation’s only Innovation Checkpoint, a live testing environment for new passenger screening technology. She has made LAS a leader in human trafficking prevention, implementing awareness programs for employees and multilingual signage in all airport restrooms.
Vassiliadis has seen the airport through extraordinary times, including the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, the airport has expanded to include the D gates and Terminal 3, and welcomed millions of travelers to Las Vegas for the city’s first-ever mega events — the Formula Las Vegas Grand Prix and Super Bowl LVIII.
“Serving our community has been the honor of a lifetime. I am incredibly proud of the partnerships we’ve built, the milestones we’ve achieved, and the foundation laid for the future,” Vassiliadis said. “It has truly been an honor to manage the Clark County airport system, which serves as a critical asset in the economic viability of Southern Nevada. There is no doubt that our airport system is well-situated to continue to serve as the front door to the mega events, conventions, sporting events, and so much more. There is a solid foundation built and highly-skilled leadership to continue the mission, including the future modernization of LAS, and planning for the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport.”
Expanding beyond her airport role, Vassiliadis has served on the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Los Angeles Branch Board of Directors, providing aviation industry insights into monetary policy, and will be completing her term at the end of the year. She is also a member of the Nevada Homeland Security Commission and has served on boards for the American Association of Airport Executives and the U.S. Travel Association, advocating for key industry policies on Capitol Hill.
On August 19, the Clark County Board of Commissioners approved Vassiliadis’ successor, Senior Director of Aviation James Chrisley.
