Oklahoma City Airport Trust

Appointed to the Trust on April 28, 2010, Dr. Terry Salmon serves as the Independent Trustee. He is the president of Computer System Designers (CSD), the full-time service firm he founded in 1994. Today, his company has three organizational divisions: training, engineering, and information technology.

Earning his Doctor of Education degree in Applied Educational Studies in Aviation and Space Education (Management Option) at Oklahoma State University, Salmon also holds a Master of Science degree and has published numerous articles and books.

In addition to the Trust, Salmon serves on several boards: the Board of Directors for Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST), the Board of Advisors for Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the Tinker Leadership Council, the Air Traffic Control Association, and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.

Councilman Matt Hinkle was elected to represent Ward 5 on the Oklahoma City Council on April 4, 2023. He serves on the Finance Committee, Judiciary Committee, Oklahoma City Municipal Facilities Authority, and Oklahoma City Public Property Authority.

Raised in Norman, Oklahoma, Hinkle graduated from Norman High School, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America. Today, Hinkle calls South Oklahoma City home, where he has resided for more than 30 years.

A member of the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce since 2002, Hinkle has served in leadership roles as chairman and treasurer, and sits on the organization’s foundation. He is a recipient of the South Chamber’s Volunteer of the Year Award and Citizen of the Year Award.

Recognizing the importance of cultivating relationships in neighborhoods, Hinkle served as president of the Village Green Neighborhood Association and Brookwood Neighborhood Association. Learning about the intricacies of city government, he volunteered as the Ward 5 planning commissioner from 2017 until his City Council election in 2023.

For the past four decades, Hinkle has worked for Tyler Media, where he is the general manager of the Outdoor Advertising Division. He is responsible for staff and financial operations, as well as developing collaborative relationships with regulatory bodies, commissions, local governments, and private landowners. 

When he’s not working, Hinkle and his wife, Mandy, strive to make the community better for their four children and two grandchildren.

Robert J. Ross currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Inasmuch Foundation, which was founded by Edith Kinney Gaylord in 1982. Previously, Ross was employed as an attorney with the Oklahoma City law firm McAfee & Taft.  

A graduate of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School and Washington and Lee University, Ross received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He received his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma.

In March 2022, Ross was appointed to the Board of Regents for the University of Oklahoma by Governor Kevin Stitt. He is a member of the following Boards of Directors: Colorado College, Freedom Center of Oklahoma City, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma City Airport Trust (Independent Trustee), Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, Oklahoma Public School Resource Center, and Oklahoma State Fair.

A member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), Ross has received the following awards: 2011 Plaza District Association’s “Urban Pioneer Award,” 2012 OKC Beautiful “Mayor’s Award for Distinguished Service,” 2013 Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits’ Visionary Impact Award, 2015 United Way of Central Oklahoma’s John Rex Community Builder Award, 2018 YMCA Service to the Youth Award, and the 2019 OKC Friday’s “OKCityan of the Year.”

Ross and his wife, Heather, are parents to a daughter, Lilly, and son, Frank.

David Holt was appointed Mayor Trustee on April 10, 2018. 

After serving in the White House, Mayor Holt then spent five years as the chief of staff to former Mayor Mick Cornett before serving almost eight years in the Oklahoma Senate.

Before his time as mayor, Holt served on numerous community boards, including the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Allied Arts, the Oklahoma City Arts Council, the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, the Putnam City Public Schools Foundation, the Ralph Ellison Foundation, and Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park.  

Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Holt graduated from Putnam City Public Schools before receiving his Bachelor’s from George Washington University and law degree from Oklahoma City University. A licensed attorney, Holt now works for a family-owned investment company in Oklahoma City. 

Holt and his wife, Rachel, COO of the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs, have two children, George and Margaret, and are members of St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church.

Craig Freeman joined the Trust upon his appointment to city manager in January 2019.  

Previously, Freeman served as the city’s finance director – a role he held since 2011. His career with the city began in 1992 with positions as a management and budget analyst, management and budget specialist, finance department business manager and budget director. Before joining the City of Oklahoma City, Freeman was a teacher and coach at Windsor Hills Baptist School. 

In 1987, Freeman graduated from Oklahoma Baptist College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary education. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science-public affairs in 1991 and a Master’s degree in urban affairs in 1992, both from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Freeman is a lifelong resident of the Oklahoma City metro. He and his wife, Rhonda, have two sons, Chris and Nick; a daughter-in-law, Haley; a daughter, Whitney; and a son-in-law, Stephen; as well as two grandsons, Landon and Grayson.

Councilwoman Barbara Peck was appointed by Mayor David Holt to the Trust in May 2021.   

Peck’s eldest brother has worked in the aerospace industry since 1985, piquing her interest in the industry.  The councilwoman has two of the three OKC Airports in her Ward 3 area as well.  

Peck was born at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, where her father later retired from his service in the United States Air Force. Peck returned with her family to her father’s native Oklahoma in 1986 and graduated from Putnam City High School in Northwest OKC. From there, she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. 

After graduation, Peck became a dispatcher for the Oklahoma City Police Department. During college and after OKCPD, she worked in the construction industry for more than 20 years, with the majority spent in development with OKC’s own Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc. 

In addition to her employment and council responsibilities, the councilwoman enjoys serving the city in the following additional capacities: 

• As Trustee with the OKC Airports Trust and the Riverfront Redevelopment Authority since 2021. 
• As a volunteer, committee member and board member for the YWCA OKC, helping other domestic violence survivors reach safety and start new lives.
• As a member of the OKC Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction, supporting and encouraging women to join the industry and to development within it.

Peck’s three children were raised in far west Ward 3 since 2007, where they all graduated from Mustang High School. 

LaShawn Thompson serves as one of four assistant city managers who support Oklahoma City’s city manager. Each assistant city manager oversees a group of departments and supervises the department directors. Thompson’s assigned departments include Airports, Development Services, General Services, Human Resources, City Clerk, Municipal Courts, and the Zoo.

Prior to joining the City Manager’s Office, Thompson was the department director for Municipal Courts and led the department during the COVID-19 pandemic with minimal disruption to operations while focusing on the safety of customers and employees. 

Some of her achievements include the construction of the new Municipal Court Building, the implementation of a new court case management system, and electronic citations. Thompson led the city’s criminal justice reform efforts, spearheading outreach programs that improved services and transparency in Municipal Court. 

Earning her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Oklahoma, Thompson then received her master’s in human relations with an emphasis in leadership and organization management from the University of Oklahoma. She began her career with the City of Oklahoma City as a probation officer in 1999.