Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1250928
B M & T ••• January/February 2020 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 10 N E W S M A K E R S MEET DEBORAH FLINT, THE CEO OF LAX AIRPORT — YES, A BLACK WOMAN! Not a lot of people know that a Black woman, Deborah Flint, is the CEO of the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which owns and operates LAX and Van Nuys Airports - two of the largest and busiest airports in the country. As CEO since 2015, Flint has made significant transformations to help enhance the experience of passen- gers who travel to and from Los Angeles, California. Flint was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in June 2015 to lead LAWA and make Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Van Nuys Airport (VNY) world-class airports. And in her more than 4 years of lead- ership, she accomplished exactly that! "Deborah is an extraordinary leader whose ingenuity, patience, and uncommon commitment have helped bring LAX to the doorstep of transformational change," Mayor Garcetti said in a statement. "She has put in motion all the key pieces of LAX's modernization, from the contracts and groundbreakings for the Automated People Mover train and other state-of-the-art facilities to the team that will build the airport of the future to welcome the world in 2028." Deborah spearheaded the $14 billion capital improve- ment program that includes an automated people mover train, a consolidated rent-a-car facility, the Intermodal Transportation Facility - West, a new facility for the Airport Police, and the almost finished Midfield Satellite Concourse. Most of the projects she focused on are those that would really improve the passengers' experience through innovation and technology as well as sustainability. She has also been praised for her good leadership that implemented a collaborative, disciplined, and accountable decision-making approach. Bigger and better things In April 2020, Flint will leave her job in Los Angeles to serve as President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority that operates Toronto Pearson Airport - the largest and busiest airport in Canada. "It is bittersweet to be leaving LAWA, but, as a Canadian- born airport executive, I am looking forward to this homecom- ing and to leading Toronto Pearson, a rising and notable star on the international airport stage," Flint said in a statement. She continued, "It has been my honor to sign the con- tracts, put shovels in the ground, and implement robust oversight programs for some of the most ambitious proj- ects at any airport in the world and in Los Angeles history. I look forward to watching the amazing LAWA team bring these projects to fruition and truly achieve our vision of gold standard airports, delivered." MEET NATIONAL COALITION OF BLACK MEETING PLANNERS (NCBMP) BOARD MEMBER LORI BURKE Lori Burke founded LLB Enterprises in 1999, offer- ing, conference support and tradeshow management for organizations such as Alliance for Community Media (ACM); the National Association of African American Insurance Agents (NAAIA); Department of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). During the summer of 2013, Ms. Burke successfully executed the commemoration event for the signing of the Armistice that ended the Korean War, hosted by the DOD KW60 Commemoration Committee (60th Anniversary of the Korean War). The event was highlighted by President Obama's delivery of the keynote address. Since the company's founding in 1999, Ms. Burke has used her 35+ years of experience in meetings manage- ment and execution to expand LLB operations to offer strategic planning, project and financial management services. In 2016, LLB Enterprises was ranked 200 on the 2016 Inc. 5000, the award for the fastest growing companies in the U.S. Ms. Burke became a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) in January of 2000 and is a proud board member of the (b)National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners (NCBMP)(eb); American Society of Association Executives (ASAE); Professional Conference Management Association (PCMA); Society of Government Meeting Planners (SGMP); and the National Association of Government Contractors (NAGC). When asked about what's she looking forward to while serving on the NCBMP Board of Directors, Burke says she's excited to implement new ideas to enhance the experience of the attendees.