Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Benjamin R. DeCosta assumed leadership of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as Department of Aviation general manager for the city of Atlanta in June 1998. Among his top priorities at the world’s busiest airport are customer service and security. DeCosta and his team are committed to ensuring that passenger experiences at the principal air carrier airport in the southern United States are among the best in the world. In fact, the Airport’s mission statement is “to be the world’s best airport by exceeding customer expectations.” DeCosta is in charge of Hartsfield-Jackson’s $6 billion-plus Capital Improvement Program. The major components of the program are: a fifth runway, the Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. International Terminal, a new rental car center and upgrades to the existing central passenger terminal complex.

In December 2009, the rental car center and SkyTrain opened to the public. The center features two four-story parking decks with more than 8,700 parking spaces and a state-of-the-art customer service center. It created 1,300 trade, professional and administrative jobs and eliminated the need for 125 shuttle buses, reducing traffic and the carbon footprint of vehicles on Airport roadways.

Furthermore, the fifth runway (Runway 10-28), which opened in 2006, is called the “most important runway in America.” It contributes to a significant decrease in delays at Hartsfield-Jackson and saves the airlines operating at the facility millions of dollars.

Under DeCosta’s leadership, the Airport remains Georgia’s economic crown jewel, employing more than 56,000 employees and producing a total financial impact of $44 billion for the state of Georgia. And, according to a 2005 Economic Impact Study, the facility increased flight operations by nearly 100,000 to more than 980,000 flights.

Recognized nationally as an industry leader, DeCosta serves on the board of directors for the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the largest professional organization for airport executives in the world, and Airports Council International, one of the world’s largest airport organizations.

On October 15, 2006, DeCosta received his Accredited Airport Executive designation from AAAE, an achievement that further demonstrates his leadership as an airport management professional.

During his tenure, Hartsfield-Jackson has received numerous accolades from industry experts. For several years, the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) named the Airport as the most efficient airport among all major airports worldwide. DeCosta was also honored in 2007 as Best Airport Director of the Year by Airport Revenue News. Other awards include American Express’ Executive Traveler’s Best Large U.S. Airport honor (2007), ATRS’ Global Efficiency Award (2006), Air Cargo World’s ACE Award for Excellence (2006), ATRS’ Top North American Airport for performance (2001 and 2003), and International Air Transport Association’s Best “Very Large” Airport in Overall Passenger Satisfaction (2003).

Prior to becoming general manager, DeCosta worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and served as the general manager of Newark International Airport.

A native New Yorker, DeCosta received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics at Queens College in 1968 before earning his Juris Doctor from New York Law School in 1975. In 1984, he participated in a program for senior executives in state and local government at the Kennedy School of Public Administration at Harvard University.

Mario Diaz assumed the role of deputy general manager for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in January 1999. He is responsible for ensuring that the daily operational activities of the world’s busiest airport are executed. These areas include operations, business, finance and capital development. As deputy general manager, his top priorities are providing superior customer service and guiding the Airport’s expansion through the Hartsfield-Jackson Development Program “Focus On the Future.”

Diaz has been a major force in Hartsfield-Jackson’s technology innovations including recent Wi-Fi developments that made the Airport the world’s largest indoor hotspot. He has been one of the industry’s leading authorities in aviation technology as well as the study of future developments in commercial aviation. Diaz was a keynote presenter at the 2003 Air Transport Research Society World Conference and the Wireless Institute’s 2003 Wireless Internet and Municipal Government Conference.

Prior to his current position, Diaz was the manager of business, properties and commercial development for New Jersey Airports, a post he held for four years. In this role, he managed the division responsible for all business and lease negotiations at Newark International Airport as well as the day-to-day oversight management of Teterboro Airport, one of the nation’s premier general aviation airports, and a major reliever airport for Newark International.

His 17-year career with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began in 1981 and included key management positions in leasing, finance, marketing, operations and properties. During this period, Diaz also served 18 months as the assistant director of the redevelopment program at John F. Kennedy Airport.

A native of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, and a licensed private pilot with instrument certification, Diaz earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. He also earned a Master of Business Administration in finance from Rutgers Graduate School of Business Administration in New Jersey.

Dan Molloy’s primary responsibility is management of Hartsfield-Jackson’s $6 billion-plus Capital Improvement Program. He oversees all aspects of the planning, design and construction of new and expanded terminals and gates, a new runway, consolidated rental car facility and other airfield or support facility projects.

Molloy began his career with the city of Los Angeles, where he was involved in the $1 billion expansion of the city’s wastewater treatment system facilities. He later moved to the Airport Department as a project engineer, managing numerous capital improvements at Los Angeles International and three other airports.

In 1995, Molloy began work at Hartsfield-Jackson, where he helped manage Capital Improvements in preparation for the 1996 Summer Olympics. After the Olympics, he continued managing development related to the airfield, roadways, parking and other support facilities. Projects included construction of new taxiways, cargo handling facilities, aircraft parking ramps, replacement of aging taxiway pavements, aircraft deicing pads, and the 33-day replacement of Runway 9R-27L.

Molloy became assistant general manager in 2000, with responsibility for all planning, design, construction and environmental activities at the Airport. In 2007, he assumed the responsibilities of Capital Programs Manager and continues to manage the multi-billion efforts today.

Molloy graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Transportation. He is licensed as a Registered Professional Engineer in Georgia and California. He is currently serving as chairman of the Airports Council International – North America Technical Committee, and is recognized as a Certified Member of the American Association of Airport Executives.

Robert Kennedy, who has more than 30 years experience in the aviation industry, took on the position of assistant general manager for Operations, Maintenance and Security at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in September, 2006. Prior to his current role, he served as director of marketing, public relations and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Recently, Kennedy has been instrumental in coordinating the Airport’s participation in CIFAL Atlanta - the North American affiliate of a United Nations research and training program for local authorities and executives. He led Hartsfield-Jackson’s efforts in working with CIFAL to host several seminars from 2004-2007, which included a security conference for a delegation of Chinese aviation officials in preparation for China’s 2008 Olympic Games. In addition, Robert was part of the delegation that accompanied Mayor Shirley Franklin on a 2006 trade mission to China.

In an earlier post at Hartsfield-Jackson, Kennedy served as the Route Development Manager, where he developed global marketing programs to expand industry and corporate awareness of the capabilities of the world’s busiest commercial airport. He was involved in numerous discussions and negotiations with many of the world’s major air carriers and has successfully developed several new airline services to Atlanta. These include the first direct all-cargo service to Southeast Asia, the Netherlands and Latin America. In addition, he worked with federal agencies in acquiring a U.S. Fish & Wildlife port designation, the approval of Cold Treatment for fruits and vegetables for Atlanta and USDA-VS Equine Importation designation.

In the private sector, Kennedy served as founder and president of Kennedy & Associates - Aviation and Air Cargo Consulting, LLC, based in Atlanta. The company provided airports, air carriers and aviation-related industries with in-depth analysis and planning for route development, cargo master planning and air service development (including bi-lateral air service agreements). Kennedy also held positions with DHL Worldwide Express and United Parcel Service.

Kennedy’s comments and viewpoints have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Journal of Commerce, Air Cargo News, Air Cargo World, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlanta Business Chronicle and numerous other industry publications. In addition, he has given commentary on CNN’s Business Asia Report, Georgia Public Television’s documentary on Economic Development, Business Argentina (live telecast call-in program) and ABC News.

Kennedy is involved in a number of civic and business organizations. He has served as chairman and president - Atlanta Air Cargo Association, board member - Georgia Foreign Trade Zone, board member - Clayton County Chamber of Commerce, and president - PTC Toastmasters International. In 1997 and 2000, Kennedy was named Clayton County’s International Business Person of the Year.

Arnaldo Ruiz is responsible for maximizing non-airline revenue as well as the Airport’s strategic direction for Customer Service, Properties Management, Marketing and Business Development. Ruiz oversees the Airport’s Concessions, Cargo Development and Parking business units. He also has a lead role in lease negotiations with airlines and tenants as well as acquisition and development of land areas outside of Airport property lines.

Ruiz’s industry experience includes 22 years with Delta Air Lines, Inc. in such areas as Reservations Sales, International Corporate Sales, New Business Development and Alliance Marketing. He is an MBA graduate of Georgia State University with a BSIM from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

Jim Drinkard has more than 30 years of airport planning and engineering experience and began his career as a design engineer working on the original midfield design for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 1977.

He returned to Hartsfield-Jackson in 2000 as a consultant planning manager prior to his current appointment as assistant general manager. Drinkard also served as co-director of Planning for the Department of Aviation with primary focus on the $6 billion Capital Improvement Program.

Previously, he served as consultant project manager for several major projects at Orlando International Airport, including the major new fourth parallel runway, North Crossfield taxiway bridge and South Terminal complex infrastructure development. He also served as a consultant project manager for major airfield and landside development projects at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Houston Intercontinental Airport, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Charleston International Airport, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, Huntsville International Airport, Savannah International Airport and Philadelphia International Airports.

Drinkard has been actively involved in the Airports Council International – North America Technical Committee, Consulting Engineers Council of Georgia, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Drinkard is a native Atlantan and holds a Bachelors of Civil Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Milton M. Castillo, CPA, is responsible for all accounting, finance and treasury operations. He has about 20 years of experience in accounting and finance, including audit, budgeting and forecasting, corporate and investment finance, mergers and acquisitions, Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and strategic planning.

Most recently, Castillo was vice president of finance and chief financial officer at Concessions International. He was responsible for all accounting and financial operations at the airport concessions company, which had $100 million in annual sales.

Castillo is a graduate of Emory University and has been licensed as a certified public accountant in Georgia since 1992. He is a member of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Myrna White manages the Office of Public Affairs for the Department of Aviation at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This diverse business unit at the world’s busiest airport is comprised of Intergovernmental Affairs, Media Relations, Community Relations, Special Events, Creative Services (Web coordination, graphics and editorial) and Public Relations.

With an aviation career spanning more than 16 years, White has achieved success at every level in which she has served the Department, whether as part of the Planning & Development team or the Public Relations unit. She began her tenure conducting public information workshops to educate the community about the Airport's plans for a fifth runway. She was charged with gaining the community's acceptance of this critical project. The $1.1 billion runway dubbed "The most important runway in America" opened in May 2006.

Her most recent assignment prior to being named Director of Public Affairs was manager of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Department. Her responsibilities included developing and executing the Department's legislative strategy, liaising with elected officials on local, state and federal issues. Additionally, she led the Department's community relations agenda.

Both the Georgia Senate and House passed resolutions in 2006 commending White for her professional leadership and service to the community. She has served on the board of directors for the Regional Leadership Forum, the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce, Arts Clayton and Women Looking Ahead news magazine. She also serves on the American Red Cross Minority Recruitment Advisory Board and is the only African-American woman to have been elected chair of the South Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

White is a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute and Leadership Clayton. She is a former Big Sister of the Year (Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Inc.), an Outstanding Georgia Citizen (Secretary of State Cathy Cox), and named among Georgia’s Most Powerful and Influential Women in Government (Women Looking Ahead magazine). White also made the 2006 List of Atlanta’s Top Women of Influence (Atlanta Business League).

She is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Journalism and a former bureau chief for the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspapers.

Nedra Farrar-Swift is Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. She is responsible for implementing human resources and strategic initiatives that impact the Department’s employees. Nedra developed Hartsfield-Jackson’s internship program, touted as being one of the country’s best. She is well-respected in the area of airport and public personnel management, having come to Hartsfield-Jackson after 14 years with the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. Nedra is also chair of the Airport Minority Advisory Council, one of the industry’s largest trade associations and the only one with the mission of promoting inclusion of minorities and women in airport contracting and employment opportunities.

Nedra led the Tavis Smiley Foundation’s Youth II Leaders program in 2005, sending 50 local high school students to the foundation’s conference in Washington D.C. She served on Gov. Sonny Perdue’s Commission for a New Georgia, creating a leadership development model for state employees. In 2005, Nedra was voted one of the 100 most influential women in government by “Woman Looking Ahead Magazine.”

Nedra has a degree in communications from North Carolina State University, certification in public personnel administration from the University of North Carolina, Institute of Government, and is certified by the International Public Management Association-HR as a Certified Human Resource Professional.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, she is the proud mother of Christian, a senior at UNC-Charlotte, and TD, executive director of the First Tee in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Lance Lyttle is the Chief Information Officer for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In this position, he supports the organization’s strategic objectives and assures the successful implementation and integration of technologies at the Airport. He is responsible for leading all technology efforts, including the development and implementation of the Airport’s Server and Workstation Virtualization environment, Internet /Intranet/ Extranet (e-Business)-focused IT infrastructure, Common Use Technology, Aircraft Gate Management System, Oracle Financials, Time and Attendance, Fiber Backbone Infrastructure, Private and Public Wi-Fi system, Distributed Antenna System that supports Cellular and PCS services, Parking Revenue Control System, Automated Vehicle Identification Systems, Closed Circuit TV, and Security Access Control System.

He has extensive knowledge of a wide range of IT and leadership subjects, including strategic planning, data and voice network design and implementation, e-Business strategies, wireless systems implementation, database design and implementation and software development. Lance has worked in Information Technology consultancy, manufacturing, mining, and transportation industries.

Creativity and innovations are key aspects of Lance’s responsibilities. He created and now chairs the Innovations and Creative concept committee at the Airport. This committee is responsible for promoting a culture of innovations throughout the organization, ideas management, and ideas implementation.

Lance sits on the editorial board of Airport Technology International publication (UK-based) and is a founding member of Emoquad Internet Services (Jamaican ISP). He is also the chairperson for the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) Information Technology committee. In 2007, Lance was voted Georgia CIO of the Year by the Georgia CIO Leadership Association. He was also named among the top 100 CIOs nationally by CIO Business Technology Leadership magazine.

An avid sportsperson, Lance is heavily involved in basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis and golf. He also writes poetry, songs and short stories.

Lance has a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in physics and computer science from the University of the West Indies. In 1996, he received a Masters degree in Management Information Systems from the University of the West Indies.