SWAAAE Winter 2021 Virtual Conference 

Winsome Lenfert was appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for Airports on February 1, 2017.

The mission of the Airports organization is to provide leadership in planning and developing a safe and efficient national airport system. The office has responsibility for all programs related to airport safety and inspections, and standards for airport design, construction and operations (including international harmonization of airport standards). Each year, the office awards approximately $3.3 billion in airport grants and approves passenger facility charge collections totaling approximately $2 billion. The office is also responsible for national airport planning, as well as environmental and social requirements. The office establishes policies related to airport rates and charges, compliance with grant assurances and airport privatization.

Winsome graduated from Indiana State University with a double major in Professional Pilot Technology and Aviation Administration with a minor in Business Administration and from Indiana University with a Masters in Public Affairs. She has a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating and held a Certified Flight Instructor Certificate. She began her aviation career working for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) as Chief Airport Inspector.

She began her career with the FAA as an Airport Certification Safety Inspector. Since then she has held many positions with the FAA including Airport Certification/Safety Specialist in Washington, DC; Community Planner for the O'Hare Modernization Program in Chicago, Illinois; Assistant Manager of the Detroit Airport District Office in Detroit, Michigan; and both Manager of Regional Operations and Director for the Airports Division Southern Region in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an active member of Indiana State University, Indiana University and Sigma Kappa Alumni Associations; and Women in Aviation International.

Dave Bannard has nearly 25 years of experience in representing airports on a wide variety of matters, including regulatory compliance, airport financings, leasing, rate-setting ordinances, defense of Part 16 actions, and concessions agreements. He regularly counsels airports on federal grant assurances and air service incentive programs. Dave has represented airport owners in novel public-private partnerships, including private development of a terminal for ultra-low cost carriers and privatization of a small county-owned airport. He is an experienced bond attorney, having served as bond counsel to airports and other issuers, counsel to borrowers and underwriters and disclosure counsel, as well as issuer’s counsel, in many transactions. Dave was previously a partner with a large international firm and served as the leader of that firm’s airport practice. He also served as the Deputy Chief Legal Counsel for the Massachusetts Port Authority, where he oversaw all transactional legal matters, including debt issuance and financial disclosures; intergovernmental negotiations; and terminal negotiations, permitting, financing, development, construction, and leasing.

Directs the aeronautical, maintenance, emergency response and business functions for a small-hub airport accommodating 2 million passengers and 60K annual airline and general aviation operations. Assists the Executive Director in working with City Council and Airport Commission to develop strategic priorities and regulate local activities. Oversees cohesive team of direct and indirect reports and administers a $14.9 million budget.

Gladys Diva Brown, C.M., C.A.E. is the Airport Director at Yuma International Airport. Yuma International Airport is co-located with the MCAS Yuma and is a Shared Use airport with a Joint Use Operating Agreement. Ms. Brown’s primary function is to operate the airport in compliance with applicable FAA regulations and state law, as well as, to maintain the positive relationship with Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, and to promote Commercial Air Service and General Aviation in a safe and secure manner.

Yuma International Airport was the 2015 Arizona Airport of Year recipient, which is awarded and recognized by the Arizona Department of Transportation Aeronautics Group. Gladys was the Southwest American Association of Airport Executives (SWAAAE) 2017 Executive of the Year, the Arizona Airports Association (AzAA) 2017 Airport Executive of the Year, recognized as one of aviation’s best and featured as one of the brightest in the 2017 Airport Business 40 Under 40, the 2017 Yuma Chamber of Commerce Athena International Award recipient, received the California Maritime Academy 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award and featured in Cal State University “Made in the CSU” as one of the notable CSU Alumnus in the Aerospace and Aviation Sector. Prior to becoming the Airport Director, Ms. Brown was the Deputy Airport Director and originally joined Yuma International Airport in March 2009 as the Director of Operations. In addition to the duties of the positions she has held, Ms. Brown was the airport project manager overseeing all engineering, cost estimating and construction at the airport. Ms. Brown worked previously in various capacities as a Civil Engineer, Mechanical & Electrical Integrity Consultant and a High School Math Teacher.

She earned her Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the California Maritime Academy accompanied with a USCG Third Assistant Engineer License. Ms. Brown obtained her AAAE Certified Member (C.M.) designation, is an active member of the Southwest AAAE chapter and is recognized as a Certified Airport Executive (C.A.E.). Ms. Brown is a Past President of the Arizona Airports Association and continues to support the one voice approach for key issues in aerospace and aeronautics for the State of Arizona, and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Southwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives (SWAAAE).

On a national level, Ms. Brown is the vice-chair on the Industrial Aviation and Military Relations committee of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). Ms. Brown volunteers in the STEM/AVID curriculum, recently elected to the Cal State Maritime Academy Foundation (CMAF) Board of Directors and is the External Relations Committee Chairman, serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation, Vice-Chair for Visit Yuma, Yuma 50 Board Member, a founding member of the Naval Sea Cadet Committee Yuma Sea Eagles Squadron, United Way of Yuma County Board Member, participates in the Expect More Arizona and on the Yuma County Education Advisory Council, President of the National Society of Professional Engineers Yuma Chapter leading the annual competitive mathlete competition MathCounts, participates assisting in various youth sport teams, and officiates basketball. Ms. Brown has a strong commitment to her community, believes in mentoring to help build leadership for tomorrow and leads to inspire through passionate forward movement.

Kim has over 20 years of aviation experience and is currently a Facilities Superintendent for the Support Services section at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. In this role, she oversees Terminal Services, Fleet Maintenance, Landside Maintenance and the Airport Generator programs.

Kelly Campbell is the Executive Director of Aviation at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (LBB). Kelly graduated from Texas Tech University in 1997 and began employment with LBB in March of 2001 as the airport accountant. In September 2003, she was promoted to Deputy Director and in April 2014 became Executive Director. Kelly is active with both the national organization the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and the South Central Chapter (SCC) of AAAE. Kelly also serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Commercial Airports Association.

T. J. joined Sacramento County Department of Airports in 2015 as the Department’s Chief Administrative Officer/Deputy Director for Planning and Development. T.J. embarked on his airports career more than 20 years ago as an airport engineering intern with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In the 20 plus year span, T.J. held various project engineering, program management and leadership positions in both public and private sectors and in the US and abroad and had the opportunity to establish a joint-venture company in China.

Christina Cossich is a nationally recognized environmental attorney and a partner at Cossich, Sumich, Parsiola & Taylor in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. With a primary focus in complex civil litigation, Christina has represented individuals, governmental agencies, and businesses in individual lawsuits, class actions, and multi district litigation. She held a prominent leadership role in the Deepwater Horizon Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee Science Group, where she was tasked with determining the environmental impacts and the fate and transport of chemicals from the BP oil spill. Christina also currently represents several coastal Louisiana parishes against the multitude of oil and gas companies that have contributed to coastal land loss and the contamination of the Louisiana coast. She is passionate about her practice and helping people across the country affected by natural disasters and environmental contamination.

Casey Denny began working at airports 30 years ago and is currently the Chief Operations Officer for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Columbus, Ohio. There he oversees operations, maintenance, and public safety at two international airports and a general aviation facility. Casey holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University, where he also taught undergraduate and graduate level classes in airport management and planning. He is an Accredited Airport Executive, past president of the Southwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives, past president of the Arizona Airports Association, and former aviation industry advisory board member for both Arizona State University and East Valley Institute of Technology. Casey currently represents the Great Lakes Chapter of AAAE on the AAAE Board of Examiners.

Chris formed CommuniQuest in May 1982. CommuniQuest specializes in dispute resolution, community outreach, facilitation and mediation services. CommuniQuest has provided public outreach services to more than 40 airports as well as Fortune 500 companies including Toyota USA, Sikorsky Aircraft, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Castle & Cooke. She is a mediator for Ventura County Superior Court and Ventura County Dispute Settlement. She has mediated hundreds of cases including Quiet Title disputes, environmental cases, tenant disputes, contract disputes, and personal injury cases.

Chris was a key consultant to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as part of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, developing and coordinating the public outreach program. In addition, CommuniQuest has been a contractor to the Federal Aviation Administration to teach community involvement and conflict management to agency management and staff.

Chris is a graduate of Ohio State University and received her Master’s in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University’s School of Law. Her military active duty included being the Officer in Charge of the airfreight and military air passenger operations into and out of Korea for the Army and Navy. She is also a graduate of the US Army’s Command and General Staff College. Ms. Eberhard holds a private certificate in rotorcraft.

Paul is a Training Consultant for ComPsych, where he delivers and creates workshops on topics such as stress management, parenting, relationship building, and personal development.

Paul has 25 years’ experience in training development and delivery, with a focus on helping employees deal with change. During that time, Paul delivered enterprise technology implementation training for two of the top companies in the training outsourcing industry. He also provided training for multiple bank mergers. Paul has a degree from Valparaiso University and has served as a Graduate Assistant for Dale Carnegie Training.

Paul is the author of five published novels.

Rick Francis is presently the Assistant Airport Director at John Wayne Airport – Orange County. In this capacity, Rick serves as the Chief of Staff, providing direct leadership to six Deputy Airport Directors, the HR team and a Quality Assurance and Compliance team. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the airport that serves 10.6 million passengers annually. In this role, he manages an operating budget of $198 million, a workforce of nearly 300 County employees (including Orange County Sheriff, Orange County Fire Authority, County Counsel, Auditor-Controller and Human Resources personnel) and over 5,000 non-County employees.

Karuana Gatimu is a business architect and productivity expert currently working in the Microsoft Teams product group. With a 25-year history in collaboration and corporate IT, she is experienced in Microsoft 365 services with a focus on Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Power Platform. Her team currently drives worldwide adoption of Microsoft 365 services, product feedback, and technical readiness for IT professionals, developers, and productivity Champions, including the Microsoft 365 Champions program and the Teams Technical Community. Her specialized experience in enterprise, government, non-profit, and retail solution architecture allows her to build large scale adoption programs and create the Microsoft Service Adoption Specialist course. She is the host & executive producer of Coffee in the Cloud on YouTube and a frequent speaker on empowering female leadership in technology and the future of collaboration.

Heather holds a Master of Business, Public Administration degree from Columbia Southern University. Heather honorably served 20 years active duty service as an Airport Manager in the United States Air Force and retired in 2013. During this time, she traveled extensively across the U.S., as well as internationally, managing and directing airport operations at a wide range of complex airports, to include Afghanistan, Iraq and Honduras. She joined the FAA’s Southern Region in 2015. She currently serves in the position of Airport Compliance Specialist with the FAA Office of Airports, in their Office of Airport Compliance and Management Analysis Section, located in Washington, DC.

Larry currently serves as the Chief People, Culture, & Equity Officer for the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority. He is the top HR executive overseeing the People Operations function for the organization and is a member of the Executive Team. People Operations areas include; employment, recruitment, training & development, benefits, compensation, employee communications, HRIS, performance management, labor relations, employee relations, diversity, equity and inclusion. Collective bargaining units include Police, Fire, and Teamsters. He also has over 11 years of experience as a Board member for two different airport authorities. Larry has over 30 years of experience in Human Resources with industries such as hospitality, manufacturing, engineering, and airports with over 20 years working in an executive capacity.

Recently retired from the FAA Runway Safety Program & Quality Assurance for 8-years based in Los Angeles and briefly in Seattle a part of the Western Service Center and the Air Traffic Control Organization. His work focused in Safety Management Systems (SMS) as a practitioner and facilitator for airport projects throughout Western Pacific Region. Kurt also worked as an Airspace Analyst providing comments on Airport Layout Plans, Master Plans, and Construction Safety Phasing Safety Plans throughout the West. FAA consultant for heliport design, operations, and heliport layout plans. Subject matter expert, facilitator, and expert witness on airport markings, signage, lighting, geometry, operations, and runway safety.

Worked for California Department of Transportation as principal airport inspector in Southern California for 7-years. As a private consultant, teamed to develop the Dallas / Fort Worth area Airport and Heliport System Plan that encompassed 16 surrounding counties and more that 160 facilities. Served on airport boards, as airport manager, and as chief pilot in several organizations. Pilot for 49-years with over 9,800-hours of flight time Kurt is aircraft owner, builder, and former Unlimited Aerobatic Competitor member of the International Aerobatic Club and EAA. Graduated from Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) with a degree in Air Commerce and Flight Technology in 1974. Erlinda and Kurt have been married over 25-years and she is a native Hawaiian. Erlinda also works for airports and in aviation.

Kurt bought his first airplane in college at 19-years of age and taught basic aerobatics and tailwheel through college in a 100 HP Citabria, Serial # 61. He was taught competition aerobatics by Mary Gaffaney with Curtis Pitts at Kendall Flying School and worked for both of them through high-school and college. Kurt also has 2500+ hours in flying boats and was chief pilot of Lake Aircraft & Consolidated Aeronautics manufacturer of PK Floats. Water Flying specialize in both open ocean and confined areas training in Alaska, Caribbean, Columbia, Canada, and Brazil. Now with the Nevada Department of Transportation as the State Aviation Manager. Kurt is on the Board of the National Association of State Aviation Officials and has acted as Director of the Western Pacific Region for the last 4-years to (NASAO).

Todd is the third CEO in the Association’s history. Todd joined AAAE in 1991 and prior to becoming CEO was responsible for overseeing AAAE’s interactions with Congress and the Executive Branch agencies. Before joining AAAE, Todd served as a Congressional Relations Officer handling aviation issues at the Department of Transportation.

Prior to his service at the Department of Transportation, Todd served on the White House staff of President Ronald Reagan as Associate Director of Cabinet Affairs. He also worked at the Department of Commerce, first in the Congressional Affairs office, then directly for the Secretary of Commerce. He began his career on Capitol Hill working on the staff of the House Republican Research Committee. He is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara. Todd is married with three sons. He and his family reside in McLean, Virginia.

Mitch Hooper manages Mead & Hunt’s planning practice in the Western United States. His experience includes planning assignments across the country and abroad, from large hubs to general aviation fields. He helps airports prepare strategic, defensible, implementable plans and build support from local, state, and federal agencies to maximize funding eligibility. Mitch specializes in aviation forecasting and capital planning, helping sponsors bridge the gap between the timing of capital projects and the variable nature of aviation demand. The plans Mitch and his team collaborate with airport sponsors create incorporate the right mix of vison, optimism, and tried-and-true fundamentals to keep airports ahead of the ever-changing curve. This allows airports to anticipate stakeholder and user expectations over the long-term. Mitch has a B.S. in Urban Planning from Arizona State University, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Oregon, and a certificate in Airport Financial Management from the International Air Transportation Association in Geneva, Switzerland.

Scott Huber specializes in the representation of airports, both as advice counsel and as a litigation specialist in certain property related matters. Mr. Huber is currently General Counsel for the Monterey Peninsula Airport District, the San Bernardino International Airport Authority and several general aviation airports. In addition, Mr. Huber represents numerous Cities, Counties, and public agencies as City Attorney and General Counsel, advising them on the full scope of municipal law issues. Mr.

Robin is currently the Deputy Director for the Western Pacific Region Airports Division. She is responsible for the planning, direction, implementation and evaluation of Airports programs in the Western Pacific Region (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the Pacific). Robin joined the FAA in May 2008 as the Manager of the San Francisco Airports District Office. As the Manager of the FAA San Francisco Airports District Office, Robin was responsible for airports in Northern California and Nevada.

Prior to joining the Federal Aviation Administration, Robin spent over 19 years with the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG). At the DOT-OIG, Robin served in various Senior Executive Service (SES) and regional management positions, including Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Aviation and Special Program Audits. Robin received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Kansas and is a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Mr. Joe Jackson leads RS&H’s Western Region aviation practice focusing on planning, design, and construction of all types of airport infrastructure. Joe is a 35+ year veteran of the aviation industry having completed projects across the United States at airports ranging from small GA fields to the nation’s largest Hub airports. He lives in Alameda, CA with his significant other, Peg Bausch, a designer. They enjoy cycling in their free time. Joe’s “big dream” is to cycle coast to coast one summer in the near future.

Peter J. Kirsch is a partner with the law firm of Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell. He splits his time between the firm’s Denver and Washington, DC offices.

Peter grew up near Washington D.C., attended Oberlin College and the University of Chicago law school and has been practicing airport law for nearly 30 years. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Colorado, Maryland, and Washington State, as well as many federal district and appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Peter long ago stopped counting the number of airports or projects but he has worked on airport projects in at least 35 states in his career. He spends a lot of his time translating technical airport law for airport sponsors on topics such as airspace, noise, airport development (both aeronautical and non-aeronautical) and relations with airport neighbors. Increasingly, he has recently been working on efforts to grow private sector investment in airports (known as public-private partnerships or P3 projects). He has represented clients in precedent-setting litigation relating to the powers of airport sponsors, control of airport noise, and preventing encroachment of incompatible land uses. Peter spends a lot of time at FAA Headquarters and walking the halls of Congress helping clients ensure that federal policy makers understand the concerns of airports and local governments.

Peter is a frequent speaker at AAAE and ACI-NA conferences and co-chairs the annual Basics of Airport Law Workshop where he teaches airport law to lawyers and senior airport executives.

Mr. Kriz is currently the Manager for Aeronautics for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). Originally from Chicago, Mr. Kriz attended the University of Arizona in Tucson earning a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and is also a registered Professional Engineer in the State. He spent over 30 years as an Aviation consultant working for various consulting firms in Arizona before accepting a position with ADOT in April of 2016. His main responsibilities include managing ADOT’s Aeronautics group which includes oversight of each of its five programs, including the Airport Development Grant program for Federal/State Local Matching (FSL) grants, the Airport Development Grant program for State/Local (SL) grants, the Airport Pavement Management System (APMS), the State System Planning Program and the Airport Development Loan Program.

Mike Lawrance is a senior aviation planning specialist with the FAA’s Office of Airport Planning and Programming in Washington D.C. He is responsible for providing guidance and technical analysis on airport master and system planning, aviation demand forecasts, airport layout plans, airport facility planning, and related airport and aviation planning functions. He currently resides in Annapolis MD with his wife and two young daughters. When not at work, he enjoys whatever it is his children tell him he’s going to enjoy and seeing what new things he can cook on his smoker.

Dustin Leno, MBA is the currently the Airport Manager of the Nut Tree Airport, located in the beautiful Vacaville, California.

Demetria Machado is the Assistant Public Information Manager for the Mineta San Jose International Airport. She serves as one of the airport’s PIOs, and provides proactive and responsive communications to the press, customers and the community. Demetria has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communications and in the event industry. Her professional credentials include marketing and communications roles in multiple City of San Jose departments; strategic communications coordinator for Silicon Valley Power; and she served as an event producer for a local events agency.

Mike Masterson’s practice focuses on complex state and federal litigation matters and land use, environmental, hazardous substances and construction matters. As such, Mike represents a variety of clients, including real estate development firms, property owners, and public agencies in diverse land use and environmental planning and litigation matters. His litigation experience includes general business litigation, breach of contract, business tort claims, professional negligence, real estate, construction, hazardous substances, mechanic’s liens, and development financing actions. Mike also has significant experience assisting in the preparation of CEQA-compliant documents and related land use planning documents, and has particular expertise with respect to environmental investigations relating to on-site hazards and hazardous materials, and the clean-up and remediation of same. His practice also includes transactional matters, including drafting and negotiating diverse contracts and development agreements.

Mark leads the FAA’s Office of Airports, Western Pacific Region (AWP). Mark’s team provides support the planning and safe development of the 640 airports that are part of the National Plan of Integrated Airport System (NPIAS). These airports are located in:

• Four states (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada),

• Three United States Territories (America Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands), and

• Three foreign countries (Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau).

Mark joined the FAA in 1991 after spending almost five years in the private sector as a Structural Engineer for a prominent Architecture and Engineering firm located in Detroit, Michigan. Mark began his FAA career in the Great Lakes Regions’ Chicago Airports District Office (ADO). Mark later worked as the Great Lakes Region’s Manager of its Planning and Programming Branch where he provided support and oversite over the region’s environmental, planning, and financial programs. In August 2003, Mark was promoted to his current position as Director for the Western Pacific Region. Mark has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University.

Timothy Middleton has over a decade of airport management, noise abatement, and environmental compliance experience. With a background in Political Science and Public Policy, Tim leverages his technical knowledge and public outreach expertise to effectively communicate to a wide range of clients including members of the public, airport managers, the FAA, and state and local officials. His core competencies include: operating Airport Noise and Operations Monitoring Systems, responding to airport noise complaints, writing technical reports for senior airport staff, training airport staff on noise abatement best practices and procedures, and presenting complex technical information in an approachable manner. He was selected and serves as an airport noise subject matter expert on a Transportation Research Board (TRB), Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) panel in Washington D.C.

Sean is the Acting Airport Manager at the Livermore Municipal Airport, a General Aviation Airport in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Moran is responsible for overseeing the daily operations and maintenance of a vibrant airport with over 150,000 annual operations, and 2 parallel runways. Prior to joining the Livermore team, Mr. Moran spent 2 years as an Airport Duty manager at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, where he was responsible for the daily operations at the 4th busiest airport in California.

Mr. Moran holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Aviation Administration from California State University, Los Angeles. He is active with the Southwest Chapter of AAAE, participating as Co-Chair of the Annual Conference Committee and the Academic Relations Committee. In his spare time, Mr. Moran can be found at the gym, or competing in various trail & Spartan Races.

Carter Morris is Executive Vice President, AAAE Services, at the American Association of Airport Executives. Carter leads the association’s operations, services and solutions including, finance, information services, the Transportation Security Clearinghouse and Training and Technology Services. Carter helped develop and shape numerous initiatives within the industry including the nation’s first domestic known traveler program as well as the formation the AAAE Transportation Security Clearinghouse which facilitates the background vetting for aviation workers nationwide. He played key roles in several cooperative initiatives between government and the aviation industry since 2001, including supporting Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta’s aviation industry Rapid Response Team in the weeks following 9/11 and most recently as Chairman of the TSA Aviation Security Advisory Committee. Carter previously oversaw AAAE’s Transportation Security Policy and Regulatory Affairs efforts focusing on all aspects of federal regulatory issues facing airports, including security, environmental, economic, and safety issues.

Before joining AAAE, Carter worked in the White House and in public affairs for the General Services Administration. He holds a degree in public affairs from Syracuse University and an MBA from the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Annapolis, Maryland.

Carl Newman is the Airport Manager at Glendale Municipal Airport. He became a member of the City of Glendale Arizona family in November 2019. Prior to that Mr. Newman was the Chief Executive Officer of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority.

Mr. Newman joined the Airport Authority in January of 2015, and was responsible for the day to day management of both Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN) and Hawkins Field (HKS). Mr. Newman earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Arizona and a Masters of Aeronautical Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Prior to his position at JAN, Mr. Newman was the general manager for the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). His duties and responsibilities include the daily operations of Houston’s largest airport, and the development and implementation of policies and procedures. In addition, Mr. Newman also managed the preparation, implementation and monitoring of the budget and expenditures for IAH, among other duties.

Prior to his position at IAH, Mr. Newman served as assistant aviation director at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Mr. Newman brings more than 30 years of aviation experience to Jackson and has held various leadership positions including Deputy Aviation Director, Facilities Superintendent, and Airside Operations Manager.

Mr. Newman is a board member for American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), and currently serves as the First Vice Chair of the organization. He is the immediate Past Chair of the Operations, Planning and Safety Subcommittee for AAAE and served as the Second Vice President of the Southwest Chapter of AAAE. He also served on the board for the Central Arizona Chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators.

Mr. Newman currently resides in Jackson with his wife Jeanette and is the father of three daughters and one son.

Corinne has been employed in the airport management profession for over 34 years. She is the Airport Director at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, Arizona and is currently serving as the 2nd Vice President of SWAAAE. Corinne previously served as the Airport Manager in Grand Junction, Colorado and as the President of both the Arizona Airports Association and the Colorado Airport Operators Association. She also served on the Colorado Aeronautical Board following her appointment to the Board by the Governor of Colorado. Corinne graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in business management which focused on human resources and transportation management. She is an Accredited Airport Executive through the American Association of Airport Executives. She loves animals and enjoys hiking and snow skiing.

Adrienne Patterson advises Solano County’s Nut Tree Airport in her capacity as a Deputy County Counsel for Solano County’s Office of County Counsel. Adrienne’s counseling involves a wide range of airport matters, including review of financial matters, drafting and negotiating use and lease agreements, and, most recently, advising on coping with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gene has focused the greater part of his career on aircraft noise and consulting across the country and internationally. As Vice President in the Aviation Environmental Services (AES) group at HMMH, he manages a wide range of aviation noise consulting projects and provides technical support on aviation related noise studies and noise measurement programs. Mr. Reindel is a trained facilitator and leads public outreach programs associated with controversial noise studies and programs and uses his training to facilitate community noise forum-type meetings. Gene also teaches courses in acoustics, sound measurements and noise modeling. Gene enjoys and excels at presenting complex issues of aviation noise in an easily understood manner.

Danielle most recently served as Head of Aviation Policy at Uber Technologies where she led global aviation policy efforts for Uber Elevate, working to advance planning and policy related to urban air mobility. Danielle has more than 20 years of aviation industry experience, including senior leadership roles in the US Department of Transportation Office of the Under Secretary for Transportation Policy, Federal Aviation Administration and airport industry. She holds a Master of Regional Planning with specializations in economic development and transportation planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University, and is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Graham is an Airport Operations Supervisor at the San Jose Intl. Airport. Mr. Ritz is responsible for managing the daily terminal operations serving over 15 million passengers annually. Before his role in Terminal Management, Mr. Ritz spent 3 years as an Airport Duty Manager at SJC. Prior to his time at SJC, Mr. Ritz spent time working in various departments at the Central Illinois Regional Airport, Washington Dulles Intl. Airport, Put-In-Bay Airport, and the Indianapolis Intl. Airport. Mr. Ritz holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Aviation Administration from Lewis University (Chicago). He is active with the Southwest Chapter of AAAE, participating as Co-Chair of the Academic Relations Committee. Additionally, Graham is a private pilot and loves to fly around the beautiful Bay area.

Judy is the Assistant Director of Aviation for Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) since April 2018. She served as Interim Assistant Director of Aviation since 2017 and Deputy Director of Aviation – Planning and Development at Silicon Valley’s airport since 2015. This experience has included managing the administrative functions of the Airport Director’s Office as well as the five Airport divisions: operations, facilities and engineering, finance, planning and development, and business development.

Judy’s vast knowledge of the aviation industry and steady management approach was developed through her three years at SJC as well as at other U.S. airports. She served as Deputy Aviation Director at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for seven years; Director of Airport Planning and Development at Little Rock National Airport for two years; and while at San Diego International Airport for 10 years, she was Manager of Program Controls, as well as holding other positions.

Judy earned a Master’s degree in Aviation Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of North Dakota. She is also an Accredited Airport Executive through the American Association of Airport Executives. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Chapter of AAAE, where she is also a Certified Airport Executive.

Dr. Sarmiento is an economist with nearly 30 years of professional experience, including 24 years leading Unison’s airport economic consulting services. Her academic specializations include transportation economics, urban economics, applied econometrics, and data analytics, which she puts to work in helping airports make data-driven decisions, plan capital improvements, raise funding to implement these capital improvements, and gain community support for airport development.

Mr. Sherrill, PE LEED AP BD+C, serves as a vice president and aviation regional service group leader at RS&H. A skilled civil engineer and project manager, Broutin has more than 26 years of experience across multiple aviation disciplines. His experience encompasses all phases of airport engineering, planning, environmental, terminal, and other building type projects. Within RS&H Broutin has been serving as a conduit using his vast experience to help the industry adapt to the pandemic and is representing RS&H as a Development Leader in the Terminal Planning Working Group for AAAE’s Airport Consortium on Consumer Trust Program – ACT.

Blair Smith retired from the United States Navy in 2000 after 22 years of service.

Kim is a longtime commercial-rated pilot and advocate of state aviation. He was first introduced to state aviation in 1992, having been appointed Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics by then Governor Ben Nelson where he served for six years. In 2001, he became a part of the team at the Arizona Department of Transportation – Aeronautics Division serving as Deputy Division Director. From 2013 to 2018, Kim worked in Washington D.C. as the Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO). Prior to his career in aviation Kim held various positions in the newspaper and magazine business spanning twenty years. “For me, this is an opportunity to meld two distinct passions in my life, aviation and publishing!”

Jon Stout is responsible for the daily management and long-term development of Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport (STS) - a rapidly growing, non-hub commercial air service facility supporting five airlines, an industrial park, 385 based aircraft, 26 commercial tenants and 5 rental car agencies. He oversees a staff of 18 employees.

Andy was born and raised in Bellingham, Washington. Andy’s early working career included 12 years as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington. This included coordinating cleanup efforts for charter vessels, and transporting personnel and supplies during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. During this time aviation played a key supporting role in this industry which inspired him to follow his childhood interest in aviation. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Flight Technology with Specialization in Aviation Management from Central Washington University in 1999. Shortly thereafter, he joined San Mateo County Airports working as an Operations Specialist and was promoted to Airport Operations Manager being responsible for the operations of both San Carlos and Half Moon Bay Airports. In 2004 he became the Manager of Solano County’s Nut Tree Airport.

In 2013, Andy accepted the position of Airport Manager at Palo Alto and was tasked with transferring the City owned airport that was managed by Santa Clara County back to the City of Palo Alto. This was accomplished and completed in September 2014. Andy is a division head and he manages the airport which is one of the four divisions under the Public Works Director. He is directly responsible for the administration, operation, maintenance, and budget for one of the nation’s busiest single runway general aviation reliever airports with over 175,000 operations a year.

Presently, Andy serves on the Association of California Airports (ACA) Board of Directors, as Vice President & ACA Chair of Emerging Technologies. He has served from 2015 to 2020 on the Board of Directors for the Southwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives (SWAAAE) and he is also a committee member of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) General Aviation Airports Committee.

Maranda has over 20 years of experience in the practice of aviation planning. Maranda supervises our California planning practice and manages a wide range of aviation planning projects. Maranda has specialized expertise in airport land use compatibility planning and has an excellent understanding of the federal, state, regional and local planning framework. Maranda often shares her knowledge with the public, stakeholders and agency planners at various airports, as well as at conferences like the 2019 Transportation Research Board’s symposium in Washington, DC where she spoke on the recent Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) project she managed, “Evaluating Compatibility Zoning at General Aviation Airports.” She arranges outreach activities for various clients and prepares presentations for webinars like the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Initiative aimed at our California Part 139 airports.

Mike Williams represents the Federal Aviation Administration as the Manager of the Phoenix Airports District Office. In 2012, Mike was selected as the Assistant Manager of the Phoenix Field Office and charged with establishing this new remote field office for the Agency and leading the office transition to the Phoenix Airports District Office. Mike was selected as the Manager in 2013 and the Phoenix Airports District Office was established in May of 2014. The ADO serves airports in the States of Arizona and Nevada.

Prior to joining the FAA, Mr. Williams served as the Director of Airports for the County of San Bernardino, (CA), where he oversaw a system of six (6) general aviation airports. Prior to that, Mr Williams was employed as the Development Manager for the Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport Authority. Mr Williams began his airport management career in 1992 with the City of Palm Springs, California, serving in various capacities with the Palm Springs International Airport. Ultimately, Mr Williams served as the Deputy Director of Aviation – Operations where he had oversight for operations, maintenance, security and capital development for the Airport.

Mr. Williams is a 1990 graduate of Arizona State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Management Technology: Airway Science Management. Mike is an Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.), having received this distinction in 1998 from the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). Mike is a Certified Airport Executive (C.A.E.) from the Southwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives (SWAAAE). Mike is a past member of the Arizona Airports Association and SWAAAE. Mike is a past Board Member of SWAAAE and the AAAE Board of Examiners.

Yolanka Wulff is Co-Executive Director of the Community Air Mobility Initiative, an educational nonprofit working globally to support local communities in the responsible integration of advanced air mobility into local and regional transportation systems. Yolanka is responsible for CAMI’s programs including the development of topical resources, webinars, conferences and collaborations. Prior to joining CAMI, she was a sustainable aviation consultant for ten years, working with industry, government, academia and nonprofits on policy, standards and regulations, industry development, market challenges, communications and media relations. Yolanka is a business attorney and consultant with over two decades of experience in the successful development, implementation and management of mission-driven programs. She has experience in sustainable transportation and land use. Yolanka is a member of the Transportation Research Board New Users of Shared Airspace Committee, the GAMA Electric Propulsion Innovation Committee, serves on several ASTM committees developing standards for electric aviation, and also serves as Executive Director of CAFE Foundation where she organizes the annual Electric Aircraft Symposium.