Airport Experience® News - Conference Issue 2025

Tracy Conner Harris Named AXN’s Property Manager of the Year

BY SARAH BELING

Despite her roots as a Central Florida native, Tracy Conner Harris never envisioned that she’d work at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) for more than three decades, or that she would become its vice president of concessions. Conner Harris, who manages the retail and concessions program at Orlando International Airport (MCO) had one specific reason for applying to be a strategic planning aide in 1993. “Believe it or not, as a 26-year-old, I went there for the retirement benefits – how crazy is that?” she laughs. “At that time, you could retire with 25 years of service regardless of your age,” explains Conner Harris, who after earning degrees in marketing and management heard about a position at GOAA from a friend. “Although I couldn’t imagine staying for twenty-five years – practically my entire lifetime at that point – investing in retirement was important

to me. Thirty-one years later and I’m still here, working on incredible projects with incredible people every day.” While her initial motivations for working at GOAA were practical, Conner Harris quickly took to the unique challenges of airport planning and development. “My first position with GOAA was working on the aviation authority’s first strategic plan [and] first capital improvement program,” she says. “Those two programs gave me a great overview of and insight into the complexities of running an airport. It also opened my eyes to all the opportunities in an airport. It was an exciting time, and certainly a big education for me, having not had any experience with aviation.”

Right: Tracy Conner Harris, vice president of concessions at Orlando International Airport, is AXN’s 2025 Property Manager of the Year.

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AX NEWS MARCH 2025