Medford airport director departs role Dec. 16, replacement to start in Jan.

MEDFORD, Ore. – After five years, Friday marks the last day for the Medford airport director.

Jerry Brienza joined MFR in 2017.

He previously served as the director for a Virginia airport.

In 2018, the FAA upgraded MFR to a small hub airport, with an increase in passengers

Under Brienza, the airport saw it’s busiest year ever in 2019, with almost 1.1 million passengers.

Brienza said once his wife got a promotion to work in North Carolina, he decided now was the best time to leave.

“We really sat back and had to really think long and hard about it because we’ve really grown to love this community and my job is the best job I‘ve ever had in my life so really thought long and hard about it,” he said. “But it was an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up.”

MFR has not named a new airport director, yet.

However, Brienza said the county is in the final stages of hiring someone.

They’re expected to take over in January.

© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.

NBC5 News reporter Zachary Larsen grew up in Surprise, Arizona. He graduated from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. At ASU, Zack interned at Arizona Sports 98.7FM and Softball America. During his Junior year, Zack joined the ASU Sports Bureau. He covered the Fiesta Bowl, the Phoenix Open and major basketball tournaments. Zack enjoys working out, creative writing, music, and rooting for his ASU Sun Devils.
Skip to content