Laura Herrmann Named FAASTeam Representative Of Year

For the last five decades, the General Aviation Awards program and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have recognized professionals for general aviation contributions in flight instruction, aviation maintenance/avionics, and safety. These awards highlight the important leadership roles these individuals play in promoting safety, education, and professionalism throughout the aviation industry.

Laura Herrmann of St. Bonifacius has been named the 2022 FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year. She will receive national recognition in July during EAA AirVenture 2022 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and her name will be added to the large perpetual plaque located in the lobby of the EAA AirVenture Museum. In addition to being recognized at AirVenture and highlighted in aviation media, National Honorees also receive gifts provided by sponsors and contributors.

Herrmann told the Minnesota Flyer that she had been named a recipient while sitting in her car at a stoplight in downtown Minneapolis.

That's when she received a phone call from FAA colleagues Al Thilmany, FAASTeam Frontline Manager for General Aviation Safety with the Flight Standards District Office in Minneapolis, and Troy Siekas, FAASTeam Program Manager, Airworthiness. Thilmany and Siekas had encouraged Herrmann to apply for the award a third time.

"I hooted and hollered all the way through downtown Minneapolis, and all the way onto Interstate 394," Herrmann said, recalling her drive home. "I want to thank our Flying Cloud Airport (KFCM) pilot community along with our online community because without them, I would not have received this award. What's most important is developing a strong pilot community with the goal of not only fostering camaraderie, but the sharing information that leads toward safer flying."

Since 2014, Herrmann has served as a FAASTeam Representative and has been conducting weekly Saturday morning seminars and webinars for her local aviation community for nearly eight years. When COVID-19 struck the world, Herrmann went to work transitioning her weekly seminars to all virtual and even found creative ways to keep attendees interested during the virtual presentations.

"The COVID-19 pandemic was like a breath of fresh air for me," she said. "I was on a furlough from work, and because I was an independent contractor [at Hennepin County Medical Center] and they weren't doing elective cases, they didn't need me."

That's when Herrmann decided to see what retirement would be like. She did all kinds of things around the house, because in-person seminars were off the table.

"I cooked really good meals from scratch, and I walked my dogs every day," she recalled, referring to Abby, a 12 ½-year-old Corgi, and Missy, a 9-year-old Pit Bull. During the pandemic, Herrmann transitioned the FAAST seminars to webinars.

Herrmann earned her B. S. in Nursing from St. Olaf College and graduated Cum Laude. She went on to earn her Masters of Science

in Nursing from the Minneapolis Veterans Administration School of Anesthesia at the University of Minnesota.

"I retired from anesthesia practice in October 2020 and was working at Phillips Eye Institute," she said. "I work as a paramedic and critical care educator at Hennepin County Medical Center, which I have done for about two years. I also am adjunct faculty in aviation at Minnesota State University-Mankato."

Outside the workplace, she's actively involved in many humanitarian causes such as Pilots and Paws where she puts her private pilot certificate and instrument rating to work flying animals to their new forever homes or to be with foster families.

Herrmann has been bringing pets to their new homes for over 19 years. She's also a volunteer at the Golden Valley Animal Humane Society, where she puts her medical skills to work as a surgical assistant caring for animals before and post-procedure. Herrmann is also an active supporter and contributor to the Minnesota 99s, and is a founding member of the Minnesota Pilots Association and the local IMC Club affiliated with EAA Chapter 878 in Buffalo and Maple Lake. She enjoys putting her plane on display for aviation events and speaking to girls and young women about the joys aviation has brought her. She takes time to volunteer to answer questions posed by visitors at the FAASTeam's booth at Girls in Aviation Day each year.

Herrmann also volunteers on the collegiate level acting as a judge in NAFI's annual SAFECON at Minnesota State University-Mankato.

She carries her message of aviation safety wherever she goes whether it be at Pro-Flite in Fairbanks, Alaska, or right back at home working alongside the Minnesota Department of Transportation during their crosswind runway assessments.

Herrmann was named Flying Cloud Airport (KCFM) "Operator of the Year" in 2021.

She attributes her success to the people who make up her aviation "village" and gives a great deal of credit to Thilmany and Siekas

for their support. "They have been fantastic to work with," she said. "We work so well together as a team. I've really enjoyed where aviation has allowed me to go and develop as a person."