By Dianne Anderson

Just about every woman has their own backstory about the tough climb to the top of the corporate world and top-tier glass ceiling.

For Black women, that story brings a next-level punch.

There are only four Black women leading airports in the United States today, which accounts for a total representation of about .006 percent of the airport CEO jobs available, and John Wayne Airport Director Charlene Reynolds is one of them.

She clearly remembers the time when she was confronted by a man who once worked for John Wayne Airport. When he saw her name on her badge, he assumed she was a flight attendant.

“When I shared that I was the Airport Director, shock came over his face. He then said, ‘You – are the Airport Director?’ I handed him my card and told him to Google me and my background. This encounter demonstrates some of the challenges we are still facing,” she said.

Looking back to when she first started her career track, Reynolds quickly realized that she was being artificially forced into someone else’s perception of a woman’s value in the workplace. She said that early job experience started her desire to take the lead differently.

She wanted to create a work environment that appreciated the differences of all people. She had to walk away from that organization to find her own journey and personal purpose for leadership.

Initially, she hadn’t imagined her career would land in airport management.

“Did I ever dream of working as an airport Director – no. Yet, I made my way here through a series of career navigations, which has been filled with a lot of challenges and successes,” she said.

Her aviation journey started about nine years ago with the City of Phoenix Aviation Department. While working in other city departments, she had always heard about how aviation was the best department to work in.

It piqued her curiosity.

“Once there, I immediately knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my career,” she said. “Transportation is a people business, and it takes a gifted group of people to deliver the best guest experience possible. My job is to be a motivator, innovator, listener, collaborator, and visionary.”

But her job includes much more. She is also in charge of shaping policy, overseeing operations, commercial and revenue development, innovation, technology, and maintenance, to name a few. She doesn’t just oversee the airport staff, she manages the $530 million annual airport budget.

Today, she still considers one of the most rewarding aspects of her job as airport director is what she is able to give back to the community, and what she hears from the community. When she is not juggling numerous high-flying responsibilities, she is a mentor to a young man who is prominent in his non-aviation engineering business.

“I know that I have done my job when someone that I have never met tells me how a friend or a colleague raved about something within the airport,” she said.

Like most airport directors these days, she is always brainstorming challenges and solutions, and John Wayne Airport is no different.

Some of her concerns include keeping up with the critical infrastructure, as Terminals A and B are original to the facility. In the next 5–7 years, she said the airport is investing over $700 million in replacing the escalators, elevators, restrooms, and utilities.

Technology also demands that the industry handle things differently these days.

“If we do not pivot, the airport will be left behind. We are spending a significant amount of money upgrading all of our technology. Some time ago, I challenged staff to come up with a ‘If money were no issue,’ list,” she said.

From that list, they are determining imminent needs and which upgrades provide the greatest return on investment.

John Wayne Airport is now preparing for the future of travel, especially with trends like electric aviation and autonomous systems.

They are also currently engaged in discussions with several of the manufacturers regarding their implementation plans, she added. The airport, through its fixed-based operators, will have some of the first installed charging stations for this new and emerging technology.

For women and people of color aspiring to rise to the top of aviation careers, she said airports are self-sustaining business enterprises, and it is impossible to run a fair and inclusive business without the equal input of everyone who will be impacted by its implications.

For that reason, it’s all the more important to have women from all different backgrounds in leadership positions, she said. The key is to be willing to do the work.

“I have always worked outside of my job description and offered to lead projects even when I was not getting paid for that role. My ability to take projects successfully across the finish line got me noticed, and led to other opportunities,” she said.

Talk of diversity, equity, and inclusion is hushed in most federally funded circles, but the perception of equity faces even more challenges, she said.

She feels that John Wayne Airport is the exception to the new rule.

“I have the pleasure of building and leading a truly diverse team which is very reflective of the community in which we work, live, and play. The organization is led by two women—me and Komal Kumar, Assistant Aviation Director—plus an exceptional multicultural executive team. This team demonstrates daily that excellence comes in all forms,” she said.

For more information, see https://www.ocair.com/