The Durham Distinguished Guest Lecture is an annual event hosted by the Aviation Institute. This event brings prominent leaders from the aviation industry to campus, offering students, faculty, and the broader community a unique opportunity to engage with experts and learn about the latest developments in aviation.
Each year, the keynote speaker is a respected figure in the industry—whether an executive, innovator, or aviation pioneer. In addition to delivering the keynote address, the speaker is awarded the prestigious Bill Shea Award, which recognizes their outstanding contributions to the aviation field.
Named in honor of Charles Durham, a key supporter of the Aviation Institute, this lecture series reflects UNO’s commitment to providing educational enrichment and fostering meaningful connections between students and industry leaders.
This year, the Aviation Institute was honored to have Mr. David Roth as the keynote speaker.
For over 20 years, David Roth has served in different executive roles for the Omaha Airport Authority and currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer. In his role as CEO, Roth leads a team of professionals at Eppley Airfield focused on providing premier customer service and airport facilities through operational excellence.
Roth started his career with the Omaha Airport Authority as the Director of Planning and Engineering. He has planned and overseen in excess of $400M in capital improvements including reconstruction of three runways, numerous taxiways and aircraft aprons, along with other facilities across the airport. Roth added additional responsibilities of strategic planning which included financial and succession planning, and lead the airport’s 20-year Master Plan. The Master Plan incorporates an estimated $1.1B of planned capital improvements including the Terminal Modernization Program at Eppley Airfield.
Roth holds a Professional Engineering License and obtained an electrical engineering degree graduating from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. He earned a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO).
Roth served in the United States Army as an Infantry Officer. His assignments included Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer and Battalion Signal Officer. After the Army, Roth joined the Trane Company where he lead a cross-functional team in developing products and manufacturing processes. Dave also worked for Alvine Engineering as an Engineering Manager, Project Manager, and Project Engineer.
Roth currently serves on the Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA) Board of Directors and Nominating Committee, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City - Omaha Branch Board of Directors, and the National Advisory Board for the UNO College of Business. He has served on the ACI-NA Operations and Technical Affairs Steering Committee Group as well as the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency Council of Officials. Additionally, he is active with his church and has served in a variety of church leadership positions. Roth lives in Ashland, Nebraska with his wife, Jennifer and they have four adult children and five grandchildren.
