Michael Stephens ’99 An Unexpected Career
AUWCL Alumnus is International Airport CEO Michael Stephens ’99 did not expect his career to lead him back to aviation. His first professional job was as an air traffic controller in the United States Air Force.
He was drawn to AUWCL because of its joint degree program with the School of International Service. Stephens’ undergraduate degree was in international affairs, so he wanted to continue in that space.
“I couldn’t imagine a better place to find that combination than at WCL, particularly being located in Washington — it just offered all of the access to the major institutes and agencies,” he said.
Although he didn’t initially plan to return to the world of aviation, his career came full circle. It wasn’t until years later that he found his way back to the industry — this time as CEO.
“Sometimes life has a funny way of kind of taking you through these twists and turns that you don’t expect,” Stephens said.
Michael Stephens (leſt) was named CEO of Tampa International Airport in November 2024.
In November 2024, Stephens was named CEO of Tampa International Airport, becoming the first Black CEO in the airport’s history. Before stepping into the role, he was a part of the airport for nearly 10 years as general counsel. When the former CEO announced retirement, Stephens and three other executive vice presidents vied for the position.
“You see there’s an opportunity, you feel it aligns with your experiences and skill sets, and you swing for it,” he said.
Stephens credits WCL for shaping his leadership beyond the legal world. “Even in this role as CEO, the lessons I learned at WCL are still applicable in one way or another,” he said. —Liz Newton
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
