Mayor Ashton Hayward has nominated the director of the Okaloosa County Airports System to head Pensacola International Airport, he announced today in a news release.

Haywardwill ask the City Council to confirm Gregory Donovan at its Feb. 11 meeting.

Donovan was the assistant director of the Pensacola airport for seven years prior to his five-year stint in Okaloosa. He has also worked at Dane County Regional Airport in Wisconsin, Houston Hobby Airport in Texas and for the Federal Aviation Administration at Orlando International Airport.

Melinda Crawford, who has been the airport director since 2009, is leaving to head the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport in Virginia. She will leave Pensacola sometime next month.

“Greg is a first-class professional who knows our airport and our market,” Hayward said in a news release. “Our airport is an invaluable asset and an economic engine for our entire region. Greg is the right person to continue to grow Pensacola International Airport, open our airport to new markets, and maintain its position as the busiest and best airport between New Orleans and Jacksonville.”