It may not be an Amelia Earhart-type solo flight of some significance, but another Kansas woman has become an aviation pioneer. Tiffany Brown is the first female Kansas Director of Aviation.  Kansas Transportation Secretary Mike King named her to the position on Thursday.

Brown was in Salina on Friday helping unveil the new Kansas Aviation Portal. She tells KSAL News that she doesn’t really feel like she’s an aviation pioneer. “I’ve always tried to work hard and learn from my predecessors”, she said. “I look forward to carrying on the tradition of being a leader in aviation”, Brown added.

As Kansas Director of Aviation, Brown will oversee the agency that among other things keeps airports in good condition and encourages events like the Kansas Air Tour and the Unmanned Aerial Systems Summit. “We get people involved in aviation, and teach the importance of aviation in the state of Kansas”, Brown said.

Brown joined the Kansas Department of Transportation in February of 2013 as the State Aviation Engineer. She has also served as the agency’s Deputy Director of Aviation and managed the Kansas Airport Improvement Program.

Brown assumes her new role on April 16th, replacing Jesse Romo who resigned to become Director of the Manhattan Regional Airport.