The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has just named two new members to the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority – the seven-member board that oversees operations at Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA).

Those seven seats are always highly prized due to the importance of the airport to the area.

The commissioners appointed Dr. Barney R. Jackson and Dr. Harold L. Martin, Sr. to the authority. Both terms run through April 15, 2023. Jackson, an emergency medicine physician in High Point, has been working in the medical field for over 35 years. Martin, on the other hand, is a doctor of the scholarly kind. He’s the Chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, better known as NC A&T. A graduate of that school, he’s now been running it for over a decade.

Since former Guilford County Commissioner Linda Shaw is off the Airport Authority, it is now officially a total men’s club: There are no longer any female members.

In Jackson’s application to the county, he stated his interest in serving on the board.

“Although I have had a long time interest in serving community affairs,” Jackson wrote, “it is truly not until now that I find myself with the time to do so. Realizing the economic impact of Piedmont Triad International Airport has on our region and as a frequent traveler, the working of the airport has been an interest to me.”

Jackson added, “I know that Guilford County and the surrounding area all benefit from successful air transportation and none is more important than air service; both from a passenger/cargo and economic/job creation standpoint. I would very much like to be a part of ensuring our continued growth in this area.”

Martin stated the following reason for wanting to serve.

“As the Chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina,” he wrote on his application, “I am acutely aware of the importance of regionalism in advancing the economic development of the Piedmont Triad. My extensive career in education, specifically my experiences at a land-grant institution and in STEM fields, will serve to advance the mission of the Piedmont Triad Airport.”

Both men were praised a good deal by various county commissioners before being appointed to the Airport Authority at the Board of Commissioners last meeting.