Governor Abbott Appoints Eight to Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee

AUSTIN, TX -- Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Tony Curry, John D. Guevara, and John Mulholland to the Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee for terms set to expire on September 1, 2023. Additionally, the Governor appointed Jim Allmon and Shelly Lesikar deZevallos, Ed.D. and reappointed Aimee Burnett, Lauren Dreyer, and Jennifer Williamson for terms set to expire September 1, 2025. The committee assists in the state’s economic development efforts to recruit and retain aerospace and aviation jobs and investments in Texas.

Tony Curry of Dallas is General Manager of Bombardier Aerospace. He is a member of the Dallas Regional Chamber and the Texas Association of Manufactures and a board member of the North Texas Workforce Solutions. Additionally, he is a former member of the MBA Association of Ireland. Curry received a Higher National Certificate in Aeronautical Engineering from the Belfast Institute of Technology, a Post Graduate Diploma in Operational Management and a Master of Business Administration in International Business from the University of Ulster, Belfast, Ireland.

John D. Guevara of Harlingen is Managing Partner of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP in Brownsville. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Cameron and Hidalgo County Bar Association, and a director of Texas Regional Bank. Additionally, he is a board member of the Rio Grande Council Boys Scouts of America and a former committee member of the Wesley United Methodist Church. Guevara received a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Brownsville and a Juris Doctor degree from Texas Southern University.

John Mulholland of Missouri City is the Vice President and Program Manager for the International Space Station for Boeing, where he has worked for almost 20 years. Prior to working for Boeing, he was an engineer and manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. He serves as a member of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Space Center Houston Board of Directors, and the NASA Johnson Space Center Joint Leadership Team. Additionally, he is an executive sponsor for the Boeing Black Employees Association Houston Chapter. Mulholland received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University.

Jim Allmon of Waco is President and CEO of Blackhawk Aerospace. He is a member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the General Aviation Manufactures Association Board of Directors and former president of the Waco Aviation Alliance. Additionally, he is a member of the Waco Freedom Ball and former pilot for Veterans Airlift Command. Allmon served in the United States Air Force, attended the University of Maryland, and received his pilot training from Spartan School of Avionics in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Shelly Lesikar deZevallos, Ed.D. of Houston is the President of West Houston Airport and a licensed pilot. She is a member of the National Business Aviation Association Board of Directors and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Board of Advisors. She is part of the Girl Scouts of America Women’s Leadership Network and a volunteer for Texas Southern University Aviation Advisory Board. In the fall of 2019, she was appointed to the United States Department of Transportation Safety Oversight and Certification Advisory Committee (SOCAC). Lesikar deZevallos received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University, and a Doctor of Education in Aviation and Space from Oklahoma State University. Most recently, she was recognized as one of the “Top 30 Influential Women of Houston”.

Aimee Burnett of Southlake is Vice President, F-16 Production Programs, for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. She previously held the role of Vice President, F-35 Domestic Business Development, and has worked for the company for over 20 years in various positions in Engineering, Operations, and Business Development. She is a member of Women in Aerospace, a sustainer of The Junior League of Fort Worth, and a volunteer for Make A Wish of North Texas. Burnett received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from Southern Methodist University. She currently serves as chair of the Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee.

Lauren Dreyer of McGregor is senior director of Starlink business operations for Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) and has worked for the company for nearly 15 years in various positions in Business Development, Finance, Human Resources and Operations. She is a member of the Baylor University School of Engineering and Computer Science Board of Advocates, the Mayborn Museum Board of Advocates, and the Waco Business League. Dreyer received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Baylor University and a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University.

Jennifer Kurth Williamson of Southlake is General Counsel at Textron Systems. She is a member of the Colorado Bar Association and a volunteer for George W. Bush Presidential Center Military Service Initiative and North Texas Nadadores. Additionally, she served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged. Williamson received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Michigan, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver College of Law, and a Master of Business Administration from Auburn University-Montgomery.