Airport Experience® News - Conference Issue 2024

SPEAKERS & MODERATORS

ISABELLA RHAWIE Isabella Rhawie joined the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) in 2014 as a manager of concessions & business development, with a focus on the development

EBONI WIMBUSH Continuing AMAC’s nearly 40-year legacy of advancing equitable opportunities and maximum participation for minorities and women throughout the aviation and

and management of the retail program In 2021, she became the assistant director of concessions & business development overseeing the concession program for Minneapolis St Paul International Airport (MSP) Rhawie has contributed to the redevelopment of more than 80% of the concessions program at MSP and spearheaded several revenue generating programs

aerospace industries, Eboni Wimbush serves as the president & CEO of the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC), Prior to leading AMAC, she served as the deputy director of the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Children & Family Success and the chief of staff at Baltimore City Department of Transportation

CARLOS RUIZ Carlos Ruiz is director of commercial management for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) With 15 years of management experience, Ruiz is

BRAD WOLFE Brad Wolfe is the commercial manager for the Salt Lake City Department of Airports He joined the SLC Airport team in 1995, transitioning to commercial management in 2007 Wolfe has been involved in The New SLC from its beginning

responsible for developing strategies to optimize non-aeronautical revenue and enhance customer service experience related to parking, ground transportation, rental cars, and concession programs

– from early design, through construction, to helping with the overnight transition of rental car and concession tenants from old facilities to new Wolfe began his career in the Artificial Heart Research Laboratory at the University of Utah, before moving to public health administration where he was a resource for health care providers in the most rural parts of Utah

ELISABETH SAILER An airport professional with more than 17 years of experience, Sailer started her career in commercial activities at Munich Airport before joining the international business development team (now Munich Airport

DEANNA ZACHRISSON Deanna Zachrisson is the director of revenue generation & partnership development at San Diego International Airport (SAN), where she spearheads development of the new restaurant and retail program in SAN’s new Terminal

International) Since 2017, she has been focused on the redevelopment of Newark Airport’s Terminal A, which opened successfully in January 2023 Sailer and her team are responsible for the commercial program and the customer experience at the new terminal

1 project She began her aviation career at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), where she led the airport dining and retail program Prior to SAN, she headed up airline affairs and business development at Santa Barbara Airport (SBA), including marketing, air service development, real estate and FBO development, as well as terminal concessions and customer service

WARREN SESSION Warren Session is the founder of Session Law Firm, PC , which specializes in government relations and legislation involving public-private partnerships, aviation, healthcare, small and minority business development, and government

contracting, as well as general corporate and business law matters Prior to establishing the firm, Session served as staff director and counsel to the Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of the House Government Operations Committee, United States Congress

KEVIN THIBAULT Kevin Thibault is the chief executive officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, operator of Orlando International Airport (MCO) Prior to joining MCO, Thibault was secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation

(FDOT), where he was responsible for coordinating the planning and development of a safe, viable, and balanced transportation system, including multimodal facilities Thibault has spent half of his professional career in the private sector, providing transportation consulting services throughout North America

85

AX NEWS MARCH 2024