About Us
Contact
2800 Terminal DriveGreat Falls, MT 59404
Telephone: 406-727-3404
Fax: 406-205-1545
Email: [email protected]
Airport Finances
Airport Authority Board of Directors
Airport Authority Board meetings are held in the Prairie Room on the second floor of the Airport terminal building. The meetings are at 1:00 p.m. followed by the Work Sessions at/or about 2:00 p.m.
Airport Director, John Faulkner
John Faulkner has over 24 years of progressively responsible airport experience. As Airport Director since June of 2010, John is responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the Great Falls International Airport. John is also an active member of the American Association of Airport Executives and has served on the organization’s national Finance Committee since 2003. He also completed the organization’s Accredited Airport Executive Program (A.A.E.) in 2005.
Prior to joining the Great Falls International Airport, John served as the Assistant Aviation Director for Planning and Development at the Colorado Springs Airport. John oversaw all planning, environmental, construction and leasing at the Airport. During the four years that John held this position, he oversaw approximately $150 million in capital project construction and he completed negotiation of the first two projects in the Airport Business Park, resulting in over 200,000 square feet of Class A office space.
John served over six years as the Manager of Aviation Business Development at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Among other responsibilities, he oversaw the airport’s air cargo line of business and led this business segment to record international freight volumes. John negotiated new lease and concession agreements that generated over $3 million in annual revenue. He also negotiated property acquisitions totaling approximately $20 million.
From 1994 to 1999, Faulkner served as an airport consultant with PB Aviation and Landrum & Brown. During his consulting career, Faulkner participated in the planning, financing and development of more than $1 billion in airport infrastructure projects.
John Faulkner is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with dual concentrations in Accounting and Finance.
Board Member, Richard Gibbs
AvMax Aircraft Leasing, Inc.
[email protected]
Term Expires: December 31, 2025
Richard Gibbs is a Great Falls native with more than 40 years of experience in the aviation industry. He is currently the Director of Airworthiness and Regulatory Compliance at AvMax Aircraft Leasing, Inc. in Great Falls.
After graduating from Great Falls High School, Richard began his career as a student at the Vocational-Technical School in Helena. After finishing school, he and his wife moved to Texas where he began working as an FAA licensed mechanic and pilot. Making the transition back to Montana to raise his family, he then went on to work at Rocky Mountain Air, a local aviation company. In 1995 he started the company Front Range Aviation with his father-in-law. They ran this business for 12 years. He moved to AvMax in 2006 where he assumed the position of Director of Maintenance and Operations for this FAA certified Repair Station. In 2013, he was appointed by the FAA to a role as a Designated Airworthiness Representative. In this capacity he has traveled to many local and foreign destinations and has seen and experienced the differences in aviation around the world.
Board Member, Sean Hoven
Hoven Equipment Company
[email protected]
Term Expires: December 31, 2024
Sean Hoven graduated from Great Falls High in 1988 and from Montana State University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. He worked for the 3M Company in St. Paul, MN, for eleven years as a product development engineer and later as an industrial salesperson. When in Minnesota, he met his wife, Andrea, a native of Duluth, MN. Together they have two sons and a daughter attending public school in Great Falls.
Sean is the Vice President of Operations of Hoven Equipment Company, a farm, compact construction, lawn and garden equipment dealership, with locations in Great Falls and Lewistown, MT. Sean served as president of Redeemer Luther Church, Group Chair of the Spader FE203 Dealer Group, as well as previously sitting on the Great Falls Airport Authority. Sean enjoys spending time with his family in the mountains, golfing, and snow skiing.
Board Member, Todd “Cameron” Swathwood
Malmstrom Air Force Base
[email protected]
Term Expires: December 31, 2026
Cameron Swathwood was born overseas to a military family and graduated high school in South Carolina. He is a graduate of Liberty University in Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. Following graduation, he joined the US Air Force as a Nuclear & Missile Operations Officer. In this capacity he was assigned to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and then to Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana in 2017. He is now a federal contract administrator, responsible for the efficient procurement of Malmstrom’s construction, architecture, and engineering projects. Prior to joining the Airport Authority Board, he completed Citizen’s Academies at the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office, Great Falls Police Department, and Great Falls Fire Rescue. He and his wife have one young child and enjoy spending time together outdoors in all seasons.
Board Member, Terry Thompson
Cascade County
[email protected]
Term Expires: December 31, 2026
Terry Thompson is the Election Administrator for Cascade County. She grew up on a cattle ranch in Central Montana graduating from Hobson High School in 1983. Her career path has been in management, business operations, administration, accounting, and government affairs. She is a certified Multiple Listing Service Executive, Certified Professional Standards Administrator, and Certified Six Sigma Green Belt.
In 2023, Terry retired after 16 years as the CEO of the Great Falls Association of REALTORS®, a professional trade organization, and the Great Falls REALTORS® Flag Project, a non-profit organization that owns and maintains the Flag at Overlook Park. She has held many leadership roles on a state and national level while working in the real estate industry.
Terry and her husband Ken have a blended family of six adult children and have been blessed with twelve grandchildren. They enjoy camping and traveling the state to attend football, basketball, and rodeo events. Most of their family live, work, and play in Great Falls.
Board Member, Elizabeth Whiting
TouroCOM Montana
Liz Whiting is the Director of Graduate Medical Education for TouroCOM Montana. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Kaplan University and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership from Purdue Global University.
Before joining Touro, Liz held multiple roles in the medical industry and spent ten years as a public servant for the State of Montana. As a medical group director, she oversaw daily operations; as a rural outreach director, she coordinated physician visits to critical access hospitals and managed relations. Liz has served on several local, state, and national committees regarding higher education, healthcare, and intergovernmental affairs, including past Chairman of the Helena Airport Authority Board. During her tenure as an elected state legislator, Liz was selected to attend one of the nation’s premier leadership development programs for state government officials and is a 2012 Toll Fellowship Alumni. Currently, Liz serves on the State Parks and Recreation Board and enjoys volunteering at Benefis Peace Hospice.
Board Member, Robert “David” Smith
Retired from Government Services
Email: [email protected]
Term Expires: December 31, 2026
Robert “David” Smith is a native of Kansas. Born in Kansas City, KS, David attended Kansas State Teacher College in the early 1960s, graduating with under- graduate and graduate degrees in education. He taught school in North Eastern Johnson County Kansas and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia prior to becoming a criminal investigator with the US Treasury Department, working for the US Secret Service and the US Customs Service. During this period, David served as a US government pilot for the US Customs Service, coordinated the US Customs Service Special Agent Training program in Washington, DC; supervised several northern border field offices including the SEATAC International Airport and the Seattle waterfront, Pembina, ND and Great Falls, MT. David, who has been flying general aviation airplanes for nearly sixty-five years, is a commercial pilot and a former flight and ground instructor, past member of the Civil Air Patrol, and a past volunteer FAA area aviation safety counselor. Along with his wife Cheryll, David owned and operated Smith Aviating Testing at the Great Falls International Airport in the late 1990s. David and Cheryll own one of two yellow Piper J-3 Cubs currently based at the Great Falls International Airport. David was also a Field Intelligence Officer in Montana and Idaho for 10 years.
David retired from government service as a senior supervisory special agent in Great Falls after a thirty-year career. He has continued working as a subject matter-expert contracting to the US Departments of Justice, State, and Homeland Security.
During David’s time in Great Falls, he served 1 term on the Cascade School District and wrote school policies, the book ended up being about 75 pages, this is an accomplishment he is very proud of doing and being involved in.
Board Member, Rod Hall
Retired from GFIAA
[email protected]
Term Expires: December 31, 2027
I began working at the airport in 1985 with one of the major Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) on the field. In that role, I serviced all types of aircraft and maintained ground support equipment for a variety of tenants. Over time, I moved into a management position within the FBO, gaining valuable experience in day-to-day operations and leadership.
In 2000, I accepted a position with the Great Falls Airport Authority. I started in the airfield maintenance department and steadily worked my way up to become Assistant Director of the Operations Department. In that role, I was responsible for overseeing construction projects and ensuring the smooth and safe operation of the airport. I completed my career with the Airport Authority in 2025, closing out four decades of work at the airport.
Outside of work, family has always been at the heart of my life. I’ve been married for nearly 45 years, and my wife and I have two grown children and three wonderful grandchildren. We spend a lot of time together, especially following our grandkids’ school and sports activities. We also enjoy spending time outdoors as a family, making the most of everything Montana and nearby Idaho have to offer.
In retirement, I continue to take an active interest in the airport and remain supportive of the Great Falls community that I am proud to call home.