The board of directors for the Virginia Tech — Montgomery Executive Airport (VTMEA) announced Thursday that Keith Holt has been named as airport director, effective July 27. VTMEA is a regional authority that includes Virginia Tech, Montgomery County and the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg. 

Holt has been hired to replace Airport Director Michael St. Jean, who is retiring after being with VTMEA since 2002 when the airport was officially formed. During St. Jean’s tenure, the airport underwent an extension project that lengthened the runway from 4,539 feet to 5,500 feet. 

Holt was most recently the airport director for the New River Valley Airport in Dublin and was selected from a pool of candidates from the Jacksonville, Florida-based airport executive search firm ADK. He had been with the airport since 2008.

Before his time with the New River Valley Airport, Holt served as the director of legislative affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and was an economic developer for the New River Valley Planning District Commission. He earned his bachelor’s degree in commercial aviation from the University of North Dakota.

“This airport is an invaluable regional resource with a tremendous history,” Holt said in a statement. “I look forward to leading the airport into its exciting next phase and beyond.” 

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