Duckworth Meets with Southern Illinois Airport Director, Tours SIU’s Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center

CARBONDALE - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation, met with Gary Shafer, Director of the Southern Illinois Airport that she recently secured $500,000 in federal funding for, and toured Southern Illinois University’s Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center with SIU Chancellor Dr. Austin Lane and former U.S. Representative Glenn Poshard.

“Southern Illinois Airport is an essential economic hub for our state and the region, and making sure it has the federal support to thrive is a top priority,” Duckworth said. “I had a good conversation with Director Shafer, Chancelor Lane and Rep. Poshard about plans for Southern Illinois Airport and the Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center. I will continue to work alongside airport leadership as I advocate for additional federal investments to make our aviation system safer, modernize our infrastructure and support economic development in Illinois.”

Earlier this year, Duckworth successfully authored and championed key provisions that were signed into law under President Biden’s bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024. These provisions will improve consumer safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities. In October, Duckworth secured $500,000 in Delta Regional Authority (DRA) SEDAP Funding for Southern Illinois Airport to support hangar expansion projects.

The Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center at Southern Illinois Airport is considered the premier transportation education center in the Midwest and among the top such facilities in the country. In October 2022, SIU renamed the Center to the Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center to honor the former SIU System president, whose efforts are credited with helping secure funding for the state-of-the-industry facility that houses Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s nationally recognized automotive and aviation programs.

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