Jason Smith, an aircraft maintenance supervisor for Piedmont Airlines, was presented with the 2025 Piedmont President’s Award recently at a gala awards ceremony at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The award is Piedmont’s highest individual honor and this year was presented to 25 of the 184 nominations among the airline’s 10,000 employees, with a combined total of 275 years of service.
The Lacey High School graduate as been with the airlines for seven years and is employed at Philadelphia International Airport.
Formerly of Highlands, later a resident of Lacey Township and now living in Barnegat, Smith was also part of Piedmont’s Veteran & Military ERG, which was recognized as ERG (Employee Resource Group) of the Year at the 2025 Community & Belonging Excellence Summit also held in Charlotte.
Smith is a board member of Piedmont Airlines’ Veterans & Military Employee Resource Group (VMERG), where he serves as a member for the 2025–2027 term. The group’s mission is to support veterans, military personnel, their families, and their communities through programs, services, compassion, and engagement. His favorite program of that group in which he takes a leading role is coordinating an annual volunteer day aboard the Battleship New Jersey. “ It is a meaningful service project that brings veterans and employees together to preserve an important piece of military history while also giving back to the broader community,” Smith said.
As an Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor, Smith works as the Philadelphia Hub Tower Coordinator in the American Eagle tower at the airport. The job includes responding to a plane team member’s call if a discrepancy is found on an ERJ-145 aircraft, then working to resolve the issue over the phone if possible, or should hands-on maintenance be required, connecting the crew with Maintenance Operations Control in Salisbury, Maryland for accurate aircraft logbook, as well as dispatching aircraft maintenance technicians to the aircraft. He also works with the Flight Operations Analyst on trend review and corrective actions to improve operations.
Smith is also Piedmont Airlines’ Philadelphia Aircraft Maintenance lead Environmental Coordinator, ensuring the station remains compliant with environmental policies and regulations by overseeing environmental records, spill response, hazardous waste compliance, chemical management, training, permits, and coordination with American Airline’s Corporate Environmental.
The maintenance supervisor has completed numerous leadership and management development courses supporting his obligations in maintenance supervision, operational coordination, and environmental compliance. Other courses have included advanced aircraft maintenance training focused on the EMB-145 and RVSM qualifications, and continues training in maintenance procedures, safety, and technical publications on a routine basis.
“Being honored with Piedmont’s highest award was both humbling and surreal,” Smith said. “I come to work each day simply focused on doing my best and taking care of my coworkers and our customers, to be recognized by senior leadership in that way meant a great deal to me. “
Smith said that while the celebratory dinner and award was meaningful, it also gave him the opportunity to connect with team members from across the company, including meeting Piedmont President and CEO Eric Morgan and spending time with current and former company leaders, senior leadership, and coworkers.
Also memorable from the evening, he continued, was reading the messages on my Kudoboard from current and former coworkers, friends, and leaders. “Seeing their kind words about my work, leadership, dedication, and involvement in the Veterans Military ERG was genuinely meaningful.”
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