The Voices of Airports

Aviation professionals are always looking for ways to advance their careers, whether through leadership development or specialized industry knowledge. That's why ACI-NA created the U.S. Airport Professional (USAP) Program, designed to support growth at every stage of a career in aviation.As we wrap up USAP Month, the Voices of Airports podcast is shining a spotlight on the e-learning training curriculum that has benefited so many across the industry. In this episode, we sat down with Aneil Patel, Senior Vice President of Programs at ACI-NA and USAP Program Administrator, and Sabrina LoPiccolo-Kane, USAP, Manager of Marketing at the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, to discuss the program and its impact.For more information on the USAP Program, visit airportscouncil.org/usap.

Airports today face many challenges in attracting and retaining talent in a competitive market. The Airport Workforce Development Accreditation (AWDA) was launched by ACI-NA last year to help airports and aviation related organizations of all sizes roadmap their workforce development efforts. The AWDA program has 5 levels that ensure measurable progress and builds a sustainable framework for workforce development. During this episode of the Voices of Airports, we spoke with three individuals who represent different aspects program. We first spoke with spoke with Peter Gargiulo, the program administrator of AWDA, who shared the high level overview of AWDA. Next we spoke with two airports at different stages of their workforce development efforts. Listen to Gina Stough, Vice President, Human Resources at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Intl. Airport, and Jessica Lipton, Marketing & Communications Manager at Fort McMurray Airport Authority, share their experiences with the program. To learn more about AWDA, visit https://www.astrongerairportworkforce.org/.

The Aviation industry is siloed but there are ways we can fix that! This episode of Voices of Airports is all about growing the workforce and breaking down those silos. One of the groups working to accomplish this is CU Denver, in partnership with DEN. CU Denver is about to launch its executive MBA in aviation, a program that combines a traditional executive MBA with all aspects of the aviation ecosystem. You will hear from program director, David Chandler, Associate Dean of Executive Programs at CU Denver Business School, and Matt Cornelius, Executive Vice President at Airports Council International - North America. Matt is also on the advisory board of the executive MBA in aviation. To learn more visit, https://business.ucdenver.edu/mba/emba-aviation.

Animals are PAWS-ITVELY the best but when you think of an airport, you don’t necessarily associate them with pets! However, the Wag Brigade at San Francisco International Airport is trying to change that by emBARKing on an important mission to make passenger travel more enjoyable. The Way Brigade brings certified stress-relief animals throughout the terminal to visit with all those who need it! On International Dog Day, we share our interview with the Wag Brigade from inside the terminal. These animals have a very PAW-SOME job at the airport and throughout our conversation, listeners will get to understand the role that they play in expanding the overall customer experience.

New technology and infrastructure is vital to making sure that airports run smoothly and effectively. On this episode of the Voices of Airports, we are all in at Airports@Work. During the conference, we sat down with Daver Malik, the Assistant Aviation Director/Chief Development Officer at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) During this insightful conversation, Daver shares what is new with PHX, how new technology is support their airport growth, and the new ways that the airport leverages AI. https://airportscouncil.org/education/conferences/

We heard you wanted more MarComCX! In October 2024, The Voices of Airports caught up with a few special guests at the Marketing and Communications Conference. During this episode, we heard from Charles Schuler at SFO, Tawana Allen at MCO, Tiffany Chase at YHZ, and Angie Korcerka at CDA. All of these special guests are members of the ACI-NA MarComCX steering group and are doing very exciting things in the industry.

Let's talk marketing and communications! During our time in San Francisco, CA for the 2024 Marketing and Communications Conference, we caught up with the MarComCX Committee leadership, Heather Shelbrack and Erin Burns, to discuss what is new with the committee and with their airports. We also got to speak with the 2024 Ted Bushelman winner, Justin Meyer.

This dynamic episode features the World Business Partners and Associates board at ACI-NA. The episode starts with Veronica Wynn breaking down the different ACI-NA memberships. Then, our WBP Board, Lynn Gordon, Michael Hotaling, and Solomon Wong, to discuss the role of YPs, how they got involved with aviation, and the annual conference. Veronica S. Wynn, Managing Director, Member Services and Executive Affairs Lynn Gordon, Chair, Vice President of Business Development at Arconas Corporation Michael Hotaling, Immediate Past Chair, CEO of C&S Companies For more information on ACI-NA, visit https://airportscouncil.org/.

Please enjoy the first episode of the Voices of Airports, podcast by ACI-NA. In this episode we cover all things Annual Conference and Exhibition. From conference sessions, exhibit hall, and all the way to the closing night evet. Hear from Kevin Burke, President and CEO of ACI-NA, Celeste Newman, Manager of Conferences, and Tory Richardson, President and CEO of GRR, about their tips and tricks for Grand Rapids.