STL’s Planning and Development Executive Named Interim Airport Director

Gerald Beckmann’s career at STL started as Project Engineer

ST. LOUIS, MO, August 3, 2026 – Gerald Beckmann will become St. Louis Lambert International’s (STL) Interim Airport Director on August 16. St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer is appointing Beckmann to replace Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, who is retiring after more than 16 years as Airport Director. He has been STL’s Deputy Director of Planning and Development.

Beckmann began at STL in 1988 as a Project Engineer. From 1995 to 2000, he was Administrative Engineer and Engineering Manager. He left in 2000 for roles at Jacobs Engineering and HR Green. He returned to STL in 2009 as Assistant Airport Director and became Deputy Airport Director in 2013. In this role, he oversees engineering, planning, environmental operations, and IT for the airport.

Beckmann has led major projects at STL, including the reconstruction of Runway 11-29. Currently, he is involved with the development of the Airfield Maintenance Campus and the Consolidated Terminal Program.

He holds a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology (1987) and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis (1994). Beckmann is a Registered Professional Engineer in Missouri and former member of the Metropolitan Sewer District Rate Commission.

###