New member appointed to Cedar Rapids airport commission

The Cedar Rapids Airport Commission, which operates The Eastern Iowa Airport, will welcome a new member next month.

David Yeoman, senior director of enterprise communications and advertising at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, has been appointed to the commission by Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett. The appointment, which takes effect June 30, was approved Tuesday by the Cedar Rapids City Council.

Yeoman will fill a position on the commission created by the June 30 departure of Dan Theis, president and principal at OPN Architects. Thies was appointed by Corbett in July 2014 to fill out the term of Tom Hobson, a Rockwell Collins executive who died in June 2014.

Hobson, who served on the commission from 2009 until July 2014, represented Rockwell Collins in state and local government relations for more than two decades.

Thies had previously served on the Cedar Rapids Airport Commission from January 2003 to June 2006. He was chairman of the commission when his term ended.

Yeoman has been active with the Alexander M. Lippisch Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association for more than 20 years. He is chairman of the general aviation advisory committee at the airport, a post he will relinquish as he begins serving on the commission.

'I think as a representative of Rockwell Collins, a major employer in the community, we have a vested interest in the airport,” Yeoman said. 'A lot of our employees use the airport every day, so it's in our best interests and those of other businesses in the community to help the airport thrive.”

'I think my personal background will bring an important perspective to the commission, given the important role that general aviation plays for the airport.”

Yeoman will be the third Rockwell Collins employee to serve on the commission. Clare Rice was a member of the commission from 1980 to Dec. 31, 1983.