Power Players in Aviation

Jorge Roberts is the CEO of Avports (formerly Pan Am World Services), America’s most experienced airport operator and manager. His global airport management and public-private partnership (P3) development and investment career spans over 15 years working for global airport operators and investors. This experience includes leading the $100 million New Haven Airport P3 and co-originating the $9.5 billion JFK New Terminal One P3. He is also actively involved in ACI, AAAE, AMAC and Vaughn College.

What is your favorite New York airport improvement over the past few years?
I am biased to the projects we have been involved with and there are too many to pick a favorite, projects such as Newark Terminal A redo, where we assisted with the opening, and new FIS at Stewart. There are some exciting upcoming new projects such as the terminal expansion project at Albany, and the redevelopment of JFK, including the New Terminal One, which I helped co-originate when I was part of the Carlyle Airport Group.

Kent is a partner in Allen & Overy’s US infrastructure and energy practice and co-chair of the Americas. He focuses on project finance and M&A in transportation infrastructure. His recent experience includes leading A&O’s consortium counsel team on New Terminal One at JFK Airport and representing ConRac Solutions on the development and financing of a consolidated rental car facility at Newark Liberty Airport.

What is your favorite New York airport improvement over the past few years?
LaGuardia Central Terminal. Soon to be New Terminal One when it opens in 2026.

Tell us about your best flying experience…
Uber Blade from Manhattan to East Hampton

What has been your favorite travel adventure?
Trekking in Nepal

What are the most important items that you pack for a trip?
Gym clothes

Santos Rodriguez is the director of community affairs and strategic initiatives for the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York (BCTC). He is responsible for engaging with community groups, organizations, and other stakeholders. He manages communication with BCTC affiliates to implement strategic initiatives and assist with all BCTC lobbying efforts. Mr. Rodriguez’s work has been recognized by elected officials and community and labor organizations for his work supporting a strong middle class.

What is your favorite New York airport improvement over the past few years?
My favorite New York airport improvements are those that were built or are being built using union labor. These projects not only open a gateway to a new era in New York where our airports are the exemplary, world-class transportation hubs that New Yorkers, and our visitors, truly deserve, but creators of thousands of middle class careers with benefits.

Tell us about your best flying experience…
My best flying experiences have been any flight that takes off on time and gets me to my destination earlier than expected. But with recent improvements made at JFK and LaGuardia, led by New York’s highly skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen, I hope to enjoy every flying experience in a new and different way.

Caryn Seidman-Becker is the co-founder and CEO of CLEAR, the secure identity platform transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Since acquiring the company in 2010, she has grown CLEAR into a global, customer-obsessed brand serving 51 airports, 15+ million members and a growing network of partners across the travel, health and sports industries. As CEO, Seidman-Becker has pursued her vision to create a world people can move through easily simply by being themselves.

Tell us about your best flying experience…
My ideal flying experience involves never having to slow down or take out my wallet to prove that I am me. I use the Home-to-Gate feature on CLEAR’s app to see what time I should leave for the airport and schedule my Uber. Once at the airport, I say hello to our wonderful ambassadors at the CLEAR Plus lanes, breeze through security, grab a coffee and board the plane without ever stopping. It’s totally friction-free.

Dan Seltzer is a managing director in MUFG’s project finance team where he is responsible for leading advisory and financing transactions in the infrastructure sector.  A native of Queens, Dan has worked on several airport projects in the New York area including leading the financing for Newark Liberty Airport’s ConRAC facility, advising on the development of JFK Airport’s New Terminal One and serving as one of the lead banks on financing for JFK Airport’s new Terminal 6.

Mike Simpson joined Worldwide Flight Services as the chief financial officer, the Americas in 2016. He was promoted to executive vice president, the Americas in 2019 where he is responsible for the North and South American operations. Mike brings more than 30 years of executive leadership, financial management, and merger and acquisition experience to WFS.  Mike holds an MBA in finance from St. Mary’s University, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Abilene Christian University.

What is your favorite New York airport improvement over the past few years?
The Cargo Building 260, a 350,000 sq. ft. cargo building at JFK slated to open in late 2024 early 2025.

What has been your favorite travel adventure?
My family and I spent a year in Cochabamba Bolivia helping to start an orphanage in 2013/2014 which will celebrate its 10 year anniversary in October 2023.

In his 14th year at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports, Bradley Tollefson leads URW’s commercial developments at JFK, LAX, Chicago O’Hare, and New York City’s Westfield World Trade Center. With 20+ years of experience in development, design, construction, and finance, Tollefson has led development and operations at airport commercial programs across the country. He holds an undergraduate degree in construction management from the University of Florida and a master’s in real estate finance from NYU.

What is your favorite New York airport improvement over the past few years?
New York’s airports are transforming rapidly, with so many exciting improvements completed or underway. The bold ambition and ingenuity to deliver a brand-new terminal over top of an existing terminal at LaGuardia is amazing. Hats off to PANYNJ, Vantage, Delta and the many partners involved. On the horizon, I’m looking forward to the continued transformation of JFK Terminal 8 and the iconic new JFK Terminal One—projects I’m honored to personally be involved in.

Tell us about your best flying experience…
I fly a lot, so it is challenging to select the best flying experience. My ideal experience is where I get to the airport early to explore and experience the shopping and dining, taking note of design, food quality, friendliness of service, and uniqueness of offer. In flight, I prefer the window seat to survey the landscapes below with an urban planning eye. As they say, it’s about the journey— not just the destination!

What has been your favorite travel adventure?
My all-time favorite travel adventure was an immersive trip which was my honeymoon to Costa Rica where we traveled all over the country experiencing the people, culture, cuisine, and landscape. It was a truly wonderful country to explore.

What are the most important items that you pack for a trip?
The most important items I pack for every trip beyond the essentials include noise-canceling headphones, refillable water bottle, comfortable shoes, camera, and some interesting reading materials.

Susan Warner Dooley is aviation chief commercial officer for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, overseeing commercial functions for the PANYNJ Airports including JFK, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia, New York Stewart and Teterboro Airports. With more than 30 years of airport related experience as senior airport executive, consultant, and attorney at numerous US airport systems, Susan has a comprehensive understanding of airline and other commercial relationships, concessions, strategic planning, airport finance, and capital development.

What is your favorite New York airport improvement over the past few years?
Choosing a favorite NYC airport improvement, like choosing a favorite child, is difficult to do. In recent years we have opened several tremendous new and redeveloped terminals at LGA and EWR. It is great to offer world class facilities to the residents of and visitors to the area. I am excited to see the massive terminal development launched at JFK. I am also looking forward to the development of work class cargo facilities at JFK.

Tell us about your best flying experience…
My best flying experience was a 5-week trip around the world in 2018. I hopped between China, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, and Chile before returning to the US. I traveled on 10 different airlines. I find flying, and traveling to new and familiar places, invigorating.

What has been your favorite travel adventure?
Having traveled to 51 countries across 6 continents, I enjoy learning about the history and culture of each to gain a more holistic understanding of the world – our differences and commonalities. I make a point to take tours with local guides at many of my destinations and enjoy the opportunity to build that connection, albeit for a few hours, to learn their personal story.

What are the most important items that you pack for a trip?
Passport, IPhone (camera & google maps), computer (usually some remote work is involved), and great walking shoes.

Patrick White is responsible for new capital raised for the Eastern Region of the United States, for all investment products managed by The Union Labor Life Insurance Company and Ullico Investment Advisors sold through Ullico Investment Company. Mr. White has over 25 years of dedicated sales experience in the institutional asset management industry. Mr. White has been servicing the New York area for nearly three decades and is proud of the impact Labor’s Capital has played in revitalizing the city and surrounding areas of New York.

What is your favorite New York airport improvement over the past few years? 
The best improvement is about to come – the new JFK Terminal One. It will be world class and state of the art, and the largest public-private partnership infrastructure project in the U.S. It’s a Ullico Infrastructure Fund investment so it will not only be a great project, it will create great union jobs. And it will be nicely complemented by the recently opened TWA Airport Hotel, a Ullico J for Jobs project.

Tell us about your best flying experience… 
All the interesting and nice people I have been fortunate enough to meet while flying

What has been your favorite travel adventure? 
Any family vacation!!

What are the most important items that you pack for a trip? 
Toiletries/ running shoes

Helena Williams is a seasoned operations infrastructure professional with decades of experience in New York transportation. As CEO of JFK Millennium Partners, she is working with the Port Authority to develop a $4.2B Terminal 6 at JFK. Williams was chief deputy county executive for Nassau County and spent 20 years with Metropolitan Transportation Authority in roles including president of Long Island Railroad, MTA executive director, president of Long Island Bus, and senior advisor to MTA’s CFO.  

What is your favorite New York airport improvement over the past few years?
Hands down, it’s LaGuardia Terminal B. The old terminal was outdated and congested. The new terminal, developed and managed by Vantage Airport Group, restores the ease and fun of air travel. When I joined Vantage, I knew that I could rely on key Vantage personnel to join me at JFK and bring those same high-quality results to JFK Terminal 6. Air travel through the new T6 will provide a smooth, enjoyable experience for passengers.

Tell us about your best flying experience…
In the 1990s, my husband and I flew JetBlue to Orlando with our three small children. It was the first time our children experienced seatback entertainment screens. They were completely mesmerized, and most importantly, they were quiet. They enjoyed checking the plane’s location in the sky with the on-screen tracker. It was all new and different. To this day, we remember that trip as the most relaxing time we had flying with our small children.

What has been your favorite travel adventure?
We took my mom who was in her eighties to Giovinazzo, a small village in Italy where her parents were born. We flew to Rome, then to Bari. Everyone on the flights and in the terminals was so attentive to my mom. She felt like a superstar. From Bari, we hopped in a taxi for a short ride north to Giovinazzo, where of course we found second cousins, great food, and wonderful local history.

What are the most important items that you pack for a trip?
For business or leisure, it’s my passport, a good airplane read, a laptop, and comfortable walking shoes. I like to consult good travel guides before a trip and will pack one. I enjoy shopping for gifts whenever I am, so I always leave some extra space in my luggage.