Las Vegas airport director Vassiliadis retiring after lengthy career
Rosemary Vassiliadis, Clark County’s Department of Aviation director since 2013 and an airport leader for more than 28 years, will retire as the top executive of Harry Reid International Airport in September.
Vassiliadis will end her Clark County career Sept. 12. County officials have begun the process of finding a replacement.
“There’s a whole ocean of feelings that go along with this,” Vassiliadis said in a Monday interview.
“You get to a point in life when you take a look back. I’ve been a public servant for 40 years starting with the City of Las Vegas in 1984. Now I’m a grandma. You know you just look back and there’s never ever a perfect time but I do feel that this is the right time. I’ve completed so many things for this airport and the airport system.”
She couldn’t pick just one accomplishment that stood out over the rest in her time with Clark County.
“Serving our community has been the honor of a lifetime,” Vassiliadis said in a release emailed Monday morning. “I am incredibly proud of the partnerships we’ve built, the milestones we’ve achieved, and the foundation laid for the future. It has truly been an honor to manage the Clark County airport system, which serves as a critical asset in the economic viability for Southern Nevada. There is no doubt that our airport system is well situated to continue to serve as the front door to the mega-events, conventions, sporting events, and so much more. There is a solid foundation built and highly skilled leadership to continue the mission, including the future modernization of LAS (Harry Reid International Airport), and planning for the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport.”
Clark County Manager Kevin Schiller applauded Vassiliadis’ work with the Department of Aviation in addition to previous roles with the county.
“For 12 years, the Department of Aviation has benefitted from Rosemary’s transformative leadership,” Schiller said. “Under her tenure, LAS has not only navigated through challenges such as a global pandemic, but also incredible opportunity with mega-events, conventions and tens of millions of passengers. Additionally, she has spearheaded efforts for our new supplemental airport. As the front door to Clark County for many of our visitors, the role the airport plays in our community cannot be understated. Thank you, Rosemary, for 40 years of tireless public service.”
First woman director
Appointed as the county’s first woman director in 2013, following nearly 16 years as deputy director, Vassiliadis, 68, has led one of the nation’s most dynamic airport systems, anchored by Harry Reid International Airport. Under her leadership, the airport reached unprecedented milestones, including record-breaking passenger numbers the last three years in a row, confirming its spot as one of North America’s top 10 commercial airports.
As director, Vassiliadis oversaw five airports, including four general aviation facilities supporting flight schools, private jet and recreational activities. The airport system today is a $35 billion economic engine, employing more than 18,000 workers and serving as the gateway to the world’s premier tourism and convention destination.
Her career has been defined by groundbreaking initiatives, including a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Transportation Security Administration that designated Reid as the nation’s only “Innovation Airport” — serving as a testing ground for new screening technology before being implemented throughout other airports across the nation.
Vassiliadis made Reid a leader in human trafficking prevention, launching one of the industry’s most comprehensive initiatives. Under her direction, airport staff trained in victim identification, worked with law enforcement to provide safe exit strategies, and was one of the first airports to install multilingual signage in all restrooms.
Throughout her tenure, Vassiliadis has led the airport system through extraordinary times: navigating through the 9-11 attacks that shut down the national airspace, the aftermath to reopen what was then McCarran International Airport, and continuing to provide essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, the airport has expanded to include the D Gates and Terminal 3, and her strategic coordination enabled the seamless movement of millions of passengers during some of the region’s most high-profile events, including Super Bowl 53 and the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Vassiliadis also is serving a term that expires this year on the board of directors of the San Francisco Board of Governors for the Federal Reserve.
Departure not unexpected
Vassiliadis’ departure is not unexpected. A year ago, reports circulated that she was considering retirement last fall, but she said the reports were false.
And, in March, her husband, Billy Vassiliadis, owner of Las Vegas advertising and marketing agency R&R Partners, announced his plans to turn over the company’s CEO responsibilities to President Michon Martin to become semiretired.
Billy Vassiliadis said he would become less active in the company’s day-to-day management so that he could spend more time with his first grandchild.
County officials have not indicated whether there would be a nationwide search for its next aviation director.
Vassiliadis said she has been told that she’ll have a role in helping to choose her successor.
One likely candidate to take over the position is Clark County Deputy Aviation Director James Chrisley, who is the lead administrator of the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport project.
The first public hearings for the environmental assessment of the land involved with the supplemental airport, including the 5,752 acres east of Interstate 15 between Jean and Primm about 30 miles south of Las Vegas are scheduled July 29-31 online, in Las Vegas and in Primm.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
