Airport Experience® News - Leadership Issue 2024

Communications Strategies Erin Burns has served as the director of communications at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) since 2018. Prior, Burns says she worked as a press secretary and communications manager for the City of New Orleans Office of Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Like Cadoret, Burns’ new appointment to the board of directors won’t be her first interaction with ACI-NA. In 2021, she was elected to serve on the steering group for the association’s Marketing, Communications & Customer Experience (MarComCX) Committee. Soon, she expects to become the chair of the group tasked with exploring and furthering the communications discipline for airports. “I’m looking forward to growing my knowledge base around the key issues that the Board of ACI is focused on addressing. The board is composed of mostly airport CEOs, so I’ll get to hear a lot about the main issues that airports across the country are facing, and how they’re handling it, and what we can all do collectively to address those challenges,” says Burns. “I think what’s great about this is I’ll have the opportunity to share my thoughts and my perspective as we’re discussing these key issues both from the perspective of the work I do here at New Orleans and from the perspective of marketing communications professionals in the MarComCX steering group.”

Burns says the MarComCX committee has focused on creating opportunities and studying the different marketing communications divisions across airports in the United States and Canada. “This discipline within the industry is growing pretty rapidly with all the advancements in social media and digital media, and every airport is structured differently,” she says. “Some are more progressive, so we think it’s going to be beneficial to get a baseline understanding of how airports are structuring marketing and communications.” Burns says the experience may be an opportunity to demonstrate the value of marketing communications in airports to leaders including CEOs and airport directors. Additionally, Burns says workforce development is a key initiative within MSY and ACI-NA. “We’re seeing more and more retirements over the years, and we need to make sure that the youth of today – who are going to be leading this industry – are exposed to this industry, and see the value in the career fields that are available,” says Burns. “That’s something that I’ve been working on at New Orleans airport, and it’s sort of a passion of mine, the idea of mentorship and helping to educate people about what the opportunities are like in this industry. So I really am interested in learning more and helping to further develop the way that we are tackling workforce needs as an organization.” Focus On Design Deborah Blass, an associate design principal at Arup Group Limited , hopes to bring her perspective from the design and consulting space to the board while learning how decisions are made and which issues are critical for the industry, she says. Blass brings to the board more than 13 years of experience in engineering, eight of which come from Arup. Blass says she hopes to gain a clearer picture of the aviation industry’s opportunities and challenges while better understanding how the association operates. With those new perspectives, Blass hopes to improve Arup’s work with airports and other aviation clients across the region.

Above: Deborah Blass, associate principal, security and risk, ARUP

“It will allow me to contribute ideas to various topics that are raised as well as bring back insights to our clients so I can help influence the direction of our work with them in impactful and positive ways,” says Blass. “Overall, I’m grateful to have such a prominent opportunity at this stage in my career.” For her upcoming experience on the board, Blass hopes to bring unique perspectives from the AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) design and consulting space that can help shape industry best practices and policies. “This could be anything from how airports can incorporate designs with flexibility to readily adapt to day-to-day operational changes, to helping them overcome larger operational challenges presented by aging infrastructure or outdated technology,” Blass says. To Blass, the opportunity will help young professionals determine possible paths forward on the board and prepare for potential voting roles in the future. It also gives ACI-NA the chance to enhance its own development by growing the next generation of board members with new, innovative ideas, she says. Prior to her appointment to the non-voting role, Blass participated on the ACI Public Safety and Security Steering Committee, which led to her joining the newly formed ACI Young Professionals Group, she says. With help from the young professional leadership at ACI and leadership at Arup, Blass put herself forward for the opportunity. “I am very excited about this new role and look forward to the opportunities it will provide me in the years to come,” she says.

Below: Erin Burns, director of communications, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

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AX NEWS DECEMBER 2024 / JANUARY 2025