Gevirtz School alumnus Levi C. Maaia has been appointed by the Santa Barbara City Council to serve on the Santa Barbara Airport Commission through 2025. Maaia expects that this will be a busy time for the Commission, with the upcoming selection and appointment of a new airport director, a review and potential revision of Santa Barbara Airport's minimum standards for continued compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and a major taxiway reconfiguration to improve safety.
Maaia, a private, instrument-rated pilot, graduated from UC Santa Barbara’s Department of Education in 2018. His dissertation research centered around K-12 Maker and invention education. He is presently directing a documentary film funded by the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The film explores the creative processes and social impacts of award-winning inventors.