Approached by a headhunter in 2014 about possibly serving as CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, Christina Cassotis recalls: “I’d only been to Pittsburgh once.” But the commercial aviation consultant was impressed by the agency’s board and community interest in turning around Pittsburgh International Airport after anchor tenant US Airways abandoned it in 2004. She told her husband that they would only stay for about three years. A decade later, Cassotis and her teams are preparing this year to open the crown jewel of a [$1.7-billion] modernization program—an [811,000-sq-ft] new terminal. “It was a bigger job than I thought,” she said of her CEO role. “And it turned out to be a better opportunity than I’d thought.”
That opportunity entailed creating a sustainable and cost-stable, origin-and-destination airport that reflects the community, offers a memorable experience for travelers and creates a positive environment for those working in it. The role also led to opportunities for innovation both in procuring and collaborating with the design and construction teams, testing nascent technologies and going above and beyond in community engagement. “It starts with an innovative mindset,” says Paul Hoback, who was airport authority chief development officer before recently becoming CEO of Sarasota, Fla.-based Bradenton International Airport. “The actual building is a physical manifestation of the work we put into our culture.”
Read more at Engineering News-Record.
Originally published: November 5, 2025
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