Airport Experience® News - Leadership Issue 2024

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DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR SMALL-HUB AIRPORTS

Right: A concessions revamp is underway, with SSP America operating concessions that reflect the local culture.

“She has developed numerous friendships and a tremendous professional network through AAAE over the years,” Haverer continues. “That speaks to the kind of person she is: very personable and extremely likeable. But it also speaks to her professional contribution to the airport industry. She has a deep understanding of airports and the role they serve both locally and across the country. Her wisdom and ability to lead propelled her into the highest ranks of AAAE, through which she was able to make a lasting impression on the industry.” Grace Under Fire Campbell took over as AAAE chair from Tory Richardson, president and CEO of Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR). “Tory and I exchanged gavels virtually in July of 2020 and we were right in the throes of things,” she says. “You would normally see a chair come in and have goals and visions and some things they wanted

to accomplish in that year.” Campbell’s approach was necessarily different. “We just needed to survive. We needed to help the staff do what they needed to do to provide members the service that they deserved. And that’s it.” Campbell points out that when federal funds started coming in to help airports, nonprofits like AAAE weren’t part of that, so a great deal of her time as chair involved having “lots of hard conversations” with AAAE CEO Todd Hauptli about what the organization needed to get by. Hauptli, in turn, praises her efforts and says Campbell is “as good as they come, full stop.” As to the amount of praise she’s received about her time as AAAE Chair, Campbell is characteristically humble and gracious, noting that it was a group effort. “I don’t know that I deserve all of that praise; it was the entire executive committee,” she says. “What I did really was supportive and an acknowledgement of what was going to have to be done.”

The Work Is Ongoing Looking ahead at LBB, Campbell says that there’s no shortage of projects. “Like a lot of other airports we’re seeing very full parking lots and we’re looking at what our needs are there and how that might fit into the future. But our next big capital project is an extension of the taxiway and cargo apron,” she shares. “And then we have a slew of airfield projects coming up behind it. While our two runways are in great condition there’s parallel taxiways that need work – some of the pavement on the airfield predates World War II.” Mechanical and electrical improvements in the building are also ongoing, she adds. “We’re incredibly proud of what we did with our terminal remodel with really a small budget, but when the bipartisan infrastructure law went into effect and new funding became available for terminals, we had some success in getting some grants and we’ll continue to look for ways that we can compete for funds and work on the building,” she says. She’s also looking further down the road. “I’d really like to sneak in a master plan if we can find time for that, and then lay out what the next 10, 20 years looks like,” Campbell says. “We’ll never be done. There’ll always be something because we want the airport to stay looking fresh and we want something that the community’s proud of.”

Left: Under Campbell’s leadership, LBB received its first-ever remodel, the ribbon cutting ceremony for which was held in February 2022. The extensive project included relocating and enlarging the security checkpoint and relocating and consolidating the baggage claim area.

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AX NEWS DECEMBER 2024 / JANUARY 2025