Rosemary A. Vassiliadis joined the Clark County Department of Aviation in 1997, as deputy director. In this position, Vassiliadis oversees all operations at McCarran International Airport, as well as general aviation airports in North Las Vegas, Henderson, Jean and Overton. She is responsible for more than 1,400 employees in nine divisions and leads the department in the absence of the director. McCarran is one of the busiest airports in the world, with more than 44.1 million passengers served in 2008.

Under Vassiliadis’ leadership, McCarran International Airport developed an industry-leading security program, while keeping customer service a priority. She directed the airport and its tenants through the crisis of Sept. 11, 2001, ensuring that all security directives were implemented thoroughly and quickly. In addition, Vassiliadis served as a member of the Nevada Homeland Security Commission from August 2004 to July 2007, which is responsible for setting goals and programs to counteract or prevent potential acts of terrorism or related emergencies.

Vassiliadis has overseen changes and enhancements at every level of the airport security program – from designing and constructing expanded-capacity security checkpoints to implementing new technologies designed to keep passengers safe and airport facilities secure. In 2002, she shepherded the development of McCarran’s Canine Explosives Detection team program, and oversaw the transition to federal passenger and baggage screening under the Transportation Security Administration. In 2004, she partnered with the TSA and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to introduce the nation’s first airport-based traveler education program. Approximately 85 percent of all McCarran passengers are origin and destination traffic, which means that more domestic passengers are processed through the airport’s ticketing, security checkpoints and baggage claim than any airport except Los Angeles International Airport. The 13 video vignettes educate air travelers before going through the security checkpoint, saving time and processing millions of passengers safely and efficiently.

Vassiliadis came from the Clark County Department of Finance, bringing 16 years of progressive government experience. As director of finance for Clark County, she was responsible for a $2.2 billion operating budget and a $2.4 billion capital improvement plan. Before joining Clark County, she worked for the City of Las Vegas’ Finance Department, beginning as a financial analyst and progressing to the manager of finance and budget, overseeing a $446 million operational budget, and a $563 million capital improvement plan.
In 2000, In Business Las Vegas named Vassiliadis to its inaugural list of Southern Nevada’s most influential businesswomen.

Vassiliadis earned a bachelor’s in accountancy from DePaul University in Chicago. She and her husband have two children and enjoy a variety of community activities.

Revised: August 2009