Miguel Southwell
Current job: Interim general manager, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Education: Bachelor's degree, Portland State University; master's degree, City University of New York's Bernard Baruch College
Deborah Ale Flint
Current job: Director of aviation, Port of Oakland
Education: Bachelor's degree, San Jose State University
Paul Wiedefeld
Current job: CEO, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Education: Bachelor's degree, Towson University; master's degree, Rutgers University
Three finalists have been selected for general manager of the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, one of the highest profile positions in city of Atlanta government.
The finalists for running the world’s busiest airport are Hartsfield-Jackson’s current interim manager Miguel Southwell, Oakland aviation director Deborah Ale Flint and Baltimore/Washington International CEO Paul Wiedefeld, the AJC has learned.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in a written statement that he looks forward to naming an executive “to lead the city of Atlanta’s most valuable asset.” The mayor plans to interview the finalists and make a selection in two weeks.
The next airport manager will “play a critical role in maintaining the airport’s status as the world’s busiest passenger airport, while growing our air cargo capacity,” Reed said. The mayor said his goal is to position Atlanta as an economic and logistics hub.
Southwell came to the airport last June as a deputy general manager for commercial development, after previously serving as deputy director of business relations and development for Miami International Airport and four Miami-Dade general aviation airports. He previously worked at the Atlanta airport from 1990 until 2001, last serving as interim assistant general manager of business and finance.
When Hartsfield-Jackson general manager Louis Miller retired at the end of 2013 after three years on the job, Southwell was named to the position of interim general manager. Southwell said he planned to focus on cargo development, in line with Reed’s goal of increasing air cargo volumes and serving as a secondary hub to Miami for Latin American air cargo.
Deborah Ale Flint has been director of aviation for the Port of Oakland since 2010, where she heads Oakland International Airport. Her previous roles at the Port of Oakland included assistant aviation director, manager of airside operations and leading the airport’s capital financing program.
Ale Flint also serves on the federal Aviation Consumer Protection committee, which advises the U.S. Transportation secretary on measures to protect the rights of air travelers.
Wiedefeld is on his second stint as CEO of Baltimore/Washington International, after serving in the position from 2002 to 2005. That was when he managed the airport’s largest expansion in its history, including design and construction of a 26-gate terminal for Southwest Airlines and a transformation of the airport’s concessions.
Before returning to BWI, Wiedefeld served as administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration. He previously worked for transportation engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff as director of aviation consulting.
The three finalists are a completely different group of candidates from the last search for a Hartsfield-Jackson general manager in 2010. That yielded the hiring of Miller at a $221,000 salary. He previously led Tampa International Airport.
Miller replaced longtime manager Ben DeCosta, who was in the position for about 12 years.
The Atlanta airport has “had a great run of people,” despite paying managers less than some other airports, said Susan Baer, former aviation director for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Southwell, Ale Flint and Wiedefeld were selected after “an exhaustive look at the top aviation executives across the top 40 airports in the nation,” according to the mayor’s office. The search committee, headed by Home Depot chief financial officer Carol Tomé, worked with search firm Korn Ferry.
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