Airport Experience® News - Leadership 2022

2022 DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR LARGE AIRPORTS

CANDACE MCGRAW CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) “I met her at an ACI CEO Forum a few years ago. She comes on with the bundle of energy she is. She has big energy, a big heart, big ideas. Why do I love her so much? She is unapologetically committed, she loves Chicago, she loves people. She knows the business. She’s easy to get along with. She focuses on the work and she gets things done. Being so authentic, she tells folks what she’s able to do. She speaks truth to power. She has a huge likeability factor, a tangible likeability. She’s remarkable.”

LYNN OSMOND president and CEO of Choose Chicago

“Choose Chicago is responsible for selling the larg est convention center in North America. That’s 2.6 million square feet of exposition space. So, the airports are critical to us because we bring in small cities with our conventions. For example, with the recent manu facturing show, IMTS [International Manufacturing Technology Show], we brought in 86,000 people. The reason we get shows like that is because we have these incredible airports. O’Hare and Midway are critical to our sales strategy. Jamie’s just done a phenomenal job with the O’Hare Modernization program and improv ing the process for millions of visitors to come through. The new Terminal 5 extension is really going to be exciting. She’s done a lot of improvements at Midway. She’s a world-class leader.”

ALDERMAN MATT O’SHEA chair of the city’s Aviation Committee

“Jamie is self-made. She grew up in a little town. She started at the airport as a greeter and worked her way through law school. She climbed the ladder, not

because she knew somebody, not because she had a name, not because she came from somewhere, but because of her work ethic and her lead ership. I say it all the time – I hope people realize how lucky we are to have her as commissioner of the Depart ment of Aviation. I really enjoy a strong relationship with Jamie Rhee and the team she has assembled. She’s a class act.”

LORI LIGHTFOOT mayor of Chicago

“Because of her passionate advocacy for accountability, equity and inclusion in City government, no one is more deserving of Director of the Year than Commissioner Rhee. In addition to her impeccable leadership over both O’Hare and Midway International Airports, Commissioner Rhee has worked tirelessly to turn our airports into opportu nities for our residents — increasing their access to government services, connecting them to aviation-related educational programs and so much more. I want to congratu late her on receiving this tremendous honor and thank her for her nearly three decades of service to our great city.”

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