news Genelle Allen, Wayne
County Airport Authority (WCAA) executive vice presi- dent, has been tapped to lead Michigan’s busiest airport system and one of the world’s premier air transport hubs as the Airport Authority’s Interim CEO. Her appointment, which was approved unanimously by the WCAA Board at its regular meeting this week, is effective July 1.
Allen will assume the role
from Lester Robinson, who has served as WCAA CEO since the Authority’s inception in 2002 and as Wayne County Di- rector of Airports since 2000. In a separate action, the board also approved a one-month extension of Robinson’s con- tract through June 30.
“All of Southeast Michigan
has benefited tremendously from Lester Robinson’s lead- ership of transforming our region’s airports — a key eco- nomic engine — from some of the worst in the nation to among the best in the world,” said WCAA Board Chair Char- lie Williams shortly after the vote. “The board is confident that Genelle will continue to build upon that foundation as we complete a national search for a permanent CEO.”
Allen, a Detroit native,
joined the Airport Authority upon its founding in 2002 as senior vice president for Pro- curement & Strategy Manage- ment, having served as part of the Airports’ legal team as supervisory assistant corpora- tion counsel for Wayne County since 1997. In that role, Allen was one of the primary au- thors of the Authority’s first Procurement and Contracting Ordinance. She was the driv- ing force behind the develop- ment of a new Small Business Enterprise (SBE) program to engage more local, small en- terprises in business oppor- tunities at the airport, and has spearheaded a complete reen- gineering of the Authority’s Disadvantaged Business En- terprise (DBE) program.
In 2009, Allen was promot-
ed to her current role as Ex- ecutive Vice President, under which her scope of respon- sibility has grown to include oversight of Willow Run Air- port and Authority Affairs.
County’s
Prior to her work at Wayne airports, Allen
served as Supervising Assis- tant Corporation Counsel of the Municipal Affairs Section for the City of Detroit. From 1991-1994, she also served as Assistant Director of Law for the City of Cleveland, Ohio, overseeing the city’s munici- pal law section (which includ- ed the city’s two airports).
Robinson has been in
charge of Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) and Willow Run Airport since April 2000 when he was tapped to become Wayne County’s first African- American Director of Airports. In December 2002, when the airports transitioned to the new Wayne County Airport Authority, the WCAA Board appointed Robinson as its first chief executive officer. During Robinson’s
tenure, DTW opened two new terminals and Michigan’s
Free Fishing Weekend
The Department of Natural
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Michigan has celebrated
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Numerous Free Fishing
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www.michigan.gov/ freefishing.
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its sixth runway, propelling DTW to its current position as first in airport satisfaction among large airports in North America by JD Power and As- sociates.
“Having served under Lester
and having been part of the success he has fostered, it is a tremendous honor to follow in his footsteps and lead the tal- ented group of professionals who operate and maintain De- troit Metropolitan and Willow Run Airports, two of our re- gion’s most vital economic assets,” said Allen. “Lester
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
June 9-15, 2010 Airport Authority announces leadership changes
will be greatly missed at the Authority and the legacy of his transformative leadership will remain for generations.”
As CEO, Robinson’s strong
focus was to run an efficient and convenient airport while keeping costs as low as pos- sible for the airlines. His goal was to operate the airports more like a business and less like a government depart- ment.
“When airlines are shop-
ping for an airport, whether they are new low-fare carri- ers or legacy carriers already
serving the market, they look at several factors,” said Robin- son. “Strength of the market and geographic location are certainly important, but cost per enplaned passenger for operating at that airport is a key component. If you don’t keep your costs in line, your customers will begin losing routes, and eventually air- lines.”
Robinson arrived at the air-
ports with more than 25 years of experience as an accountant and financial manager for gov- ernment, banking and finan-
cial services organizations. He was president and CEO of First Independence Corpora- tion, chief financial officer and chief of staff for the Office of the Wayne County Execu- tive. In the early 1990s, Rob- inson served a two-year stint as deputy director of Airports and made it a priority to teach airport supervisory employees budget skills. A 1998 winner of Crain’s Black Business Leadership Award, Robinson was named Airport Director of the Year by Airport Revenue News in 2006.
His reputation for fiscal
integ rity reached as far as Lansing when Gov. Engler ap- pointed Robinson to serve on a review team working with a financially troubled commu- nity from 1996 to 1999.
Board of Directors for Airports Council
Robinson served on the International-North
America from 2007 to 2010, as well as the Policy Review Com- mittee for the American Asso- ciation of Airport Executives. He also is a longtime member of the Oakwood Hospital Board of Trustees.
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