Aaron Merrick

I am proud to have been born and raised in the great state of Missouri, right in the heart of the Central Region, and have lived in Kansas since I started my career at ZKC in 1999.  The Central Region is home for me, and I believe it is important for a candidate for Regional Vice-President to live in, and know the region they will represent.  If I am taking action or making a decision about the region, I understand that not only does it affect my members, it affects me.

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I must give credit to my amazing family for all of the support they have given me over the years, as I have grown in my FAA and NATCA careers.  My wife Shannen, is my rock.  Not only is she strong for me, but is the glue that keeps our family together and strong.  Together, we have raised three amazing children, Caden, 24, Cohen, 21, and Cami, 18.  Thank you to my family for all the love and for supporting me unconditionally.

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Becoming an air traffic controller became a goal for me early in my high school days, and I began researching and preparing for a potential FAA career.  After completing my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies from the University of Missouri - Kansas City in 1998, I worked in the private sector for a year while awaiting acceptance into the MARC school in Eden Prairie, MN.  I attended the MARC school in May of 1999 and graduated in August of 1999.  One month later, I started my FAA career at Kansas City Center in Olathe, KS, and became a NATCA member on day one.

I have had the pleasure of working in two of ZKC's areas of specialization, Trails, which works the airspace around Kansas City, and Ozark, which works the airspace between Kansas City and St. Louis, south to the Missouri/Arkansas state line.

In 2006, I began serving in my first elected role in NATCA, serving on our Local Executive Board.  After that, I won the Local election to become Area Representative of the Ozark area.  After serving as the Ozark Area Representative for three years, in 2012, I was elected as the Vice-President of Kansas City Center NATCA Local.  In 2013, I was elected as Facility President of the Local at ZKC.  It was an honor to serve as the Facility President for three consecutive terms.

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In 2014, I was appointed as an Alternate Regional Vice President, by then Central Region RVP, Kevin Peterson, and I was proud to serve in that role until I was elected as Central Region RVP.  Getting to visit facilities throughout the Central Region and meeting our Central Region brothers and sisters is one of the highlights of being an ARVP and RVP.  I want to continue to work to grow the Central Region membership and to continue the activism and involvement that has been cultivated over the last several years.  One of my main goals to to build strong NATCA activists and leaders from the facility level up, so the Central Region will continue to thrive for years to come.

If you have any questions about my campaign, vision, or anything else, please do not hesitate to reach out to me using the contact form at the bottom of this page.  You can also reach me at 816-287-0010 or e-mail me at aaron@merrick2024.org.

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