NASAO Holds 95th Convention and Trade Show in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Drawing 340 Attendees from 37 States

The National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) held its 95th annual convention and trade show at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on September 13 to 16, 2026. NASAO was founded in 1931 to represent state agencies involved in promoting aviation, with activities ranging from securing continued federal funding for airport development and safety to new concepts affecting the aviation community. This year's event drew 340 attendees and representatives from 37 states. The convention lets states, including Guam and Puerto Rico, share information and integrate new technology.

The theme was "50 States, One Sky." North Dakota's Executive Director of the Aeronautics Commission said it "captures the spirit of the Convention." Break-out sessions covered building an aviation workforce pipeline, funding approaches for state aviation systems, developing advanced air mobility networks, local planning, zoning and land asset strategies, UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) for agriculture, the eVTOL integration pilot program (eIPP), and groundwork for cargo, medical logistics and autonomous operations in Los Angeles, North Dakota and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The two keynote speakers were Stephanie Goetz and Simon Hewitt. Goetz is a leadership coach, TEDx speaker, flight instructor and former award-winning news anchor for all three major networks. She is known as the pilot of the pink L-39 jet used to promote breast cancer awareness, flies a Bombardier 6000 and a Cessna Citation Latitude for NetJets, and is a spokesperson and ambassador for the Corporal Angel Network. Hewitt is head of sales at Beta Technologies, a Vermont-based company developing commercial electric aircraft and supporting charging infrastructure.

NASAO's next Convention and Trade Show will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 26-29, 2027, followed by Seattle in 2028.