TRANSPORTATION INSIGHTS | 1
SUMMARY OF AN ACRP INSIGHT EVENT
April 12–13, 2022 | Washington, DC
Systemic Inequality in
the Airport Industry
Exploring the Racial Divide
Amber Woodburn McNair, Rapporteur
The Ohio State University
Organized by the
Airport Cooperative Research Program
Transportation Research Board
Sponsored by the
Federal Aviation Administration
Transportation Insights 1
ACRP Project 11-08(21-02)
ISBN 978-0-309-69832-0
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NOTICE
This summary was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
This event was organized through TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) and sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
Suggested citation: Transportation Research Board. Transportation Insights 1: Systemic Inequality in the Airport Industry. Summary of an ACRP Insight Event, April 12–13, 2022. Washington, DC: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2023.
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ACRP Insight Event Project Panel
Tina Frias, Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, NV (Chair)
Emylene Aspilla, San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA
Thiane Carter, Raleigh–Durham Airport Authority, RDU Airport, NC
Valerie Churchwell, City of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ
Medardo Gomez, Salt Lake City Department of Airports, Salt Lake City, UT
Shannon McLoughlin Morrison, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Perry Miller, Capital Region Airport Commission, Richmond, VA
Steven Nakana, Portland General Electric (formerly Port of Portland), Portland, OR
Cathryn Stephens, Eugene Airport, Eugene, OR
Transportation Research Board Staff
Joe Navarrete, Senior Program Officer
Stephanie L. Campbell-Chamberlain, Senior Program Assistant
Publications Staff for Transportation Insights
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Janet M. McNaughton, Senior Editor
Jennifer J. Weeks, Publishing Projects Manager
ACRP OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE*
CHAIR
Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge
St. Louis Lambert International Airport
VICE CHAIR
Marianne Csaky
LanzaJet
MEMBERS
Gloria G. Bender
TransSolutions, LLC
Balram “B” Bheodari
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Darryl Daniels
Jacobsen Daniels Associates
John Dermody
Federal Aviation Administration
Kimberly A. Kenville
University of North Dakota
Lance Lyttle
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Chad Makovsky
City of Phoenix (AZ)
Scott McMahon
Morristown Municipal Airport
Frank R. Miller
Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority
Ramon Ricondo
Ricondo and Associates, Inc.
Cathryn Stephens
Eugene Airport
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Justin Barkowski
American Association of Airport Executives
Sabrina Johnson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Laura Rinaldi McKee
Airlines for America
Christopher J. Oswald
Airports Council International–North America
Gregory Pecoraro
National Association of State Aviation Officials
Neil J. Pedersen
Transportation Research Board
T.J. Schulz
Airport Consultants Council
SECRETARY
Christopher J. Hedges
Transportation Research Board
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2023 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
CHAIR: Shawn Wilson, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Baton Rouge
VICE CHAIR: Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
Michael F. Ableson, CEO, Arrival Automotive–North America, Detroit, MI
James F. Albaugh, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City
Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany
Ginger Evans, President, Tower Consulting, LLC, Arlington, VA
Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr., Chief Executive Officer, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL
Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Transportation, Trenton
Stephen W. Hargarten, Professor, Emergency Medicine, Senior Injury and Policy Advisor, Comprehensive Injury Center; Founding Dean, Office of Global Health, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Chris T. Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Randell Iwasaki, Leader of State and Local Transportation, Amazon Web Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Ashby Johnson, Executive Director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Austin, TX
Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
Drew Kodjak, Executive Director, International Council on Clean Transportation, Washington, DC
Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Michael R. McClellan, Vice President, Strategic Planning, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VA
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Leslie S. Richards, General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia
Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Shailen Bhatt, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
Tristan Brown, Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Ann Carlson, Acting Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento, CA
Nuria I. Fernandez, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD
William H. Graham, Jr. (Major General, U.S. Army), Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
John T. Gray II, Senior Vice President, Policy and Economics, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Robin Hutcheson, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Eleftheria Kontou, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council
Billy Nolen, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
___________________
* Membership as of February 2023.
* Membership as of February 2023.
Contents
A Conversation with FAA Deputy Administrator Bradley Mims
Eboni Wimbush, Moderator; Brad Mims
Panel 1: What Are We Talking About?
Panel 2: Perspectives on Inequality
Eboni Wimbush, Moderator; Api Appulingam; Dolores Rodgers; Yvette Rose; Ricky Smith
Monica Williams, Moderator; Anita Cobb; Yen Ling Shek
Panel 4: Economic Impacts of Systemic Inequality
Cathryn Stephens, Moderator; Heather Barry; Breann Preston; Ani Turner
Panel 5: Social and Moral Impacts of Systemic Inequality
Erin Locklear, Moderator; Tammera Holmes; Rocio Saenz
Panel 6: Systemic Inequality within the Context of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Denise Bailey, Moderator; Bookda Gheisar; Kelli Kelly; Tanisha Lewis; Steve Pelham
Denise Bailey, Moderator; Thiane Carter; Toyin Ogunfolaju; Jonathan Todd
Panel 8: Addressing Inequality and Equity at the Federal Level
Valerie Churchwell, Moderator; Portia Allen Kyle; Mary Ellen Eagan; Shannetta Griffin
