OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin appointed Lindy Ritz of Norman, Okla., to the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission until December 31, 2023.
Ritz graduated the University of Oklahoma and the FAA Senior Executive Candidate Development Program, and completed graduate programs at the University of Michigan and the Kellogg School at Northwestern University. She received a master’s degree in aviation and space from Oklahoma State University in May of 1999 and is a member of the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University aviation advisory councils.
Ritz was the Director of the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City from 1997 to 2013. During her tenure there, Ritz received the 2007 George W. Kriske Memorial Award from the Air Traffic Control Association. She received the first FAA Golden Compass Award for Exemplary Leadership in September 2007. The Monroney Aeronautical Center is the centralized service and support facility for the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation and home to more than 7,200 federal and contract employees, with an operational budget of $1.2 billion annually. Ritz had been with the FAA since 1979.
Ritz is a role model among the aviation community. Since 2013, she has been the President of The Ritz Group, LLC which specializes in organizational and management consulting, executive coaching, and motivational speaking.
“We are extremely pleased to see the appointment of Commissioner Ritz,” Aeronautics Commission director Victor Bird said. “I have known Lindy many years and her work within the aviation and aerospace industry will be pivotal in achieving Commission missions and goals.”
All appointees are required by law to file Oath of Office and Loyalty Oath documents with the Secretary of State before any action is taken as a board member. Ritz completed the requirements, and reported for duty on January 11, 2018 at the Commission’s first meeting for the calendar year.