LYDIA H. KENNARD TO LEAVE LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS THIS FALL; PLANS TO RETURN TO PRIVATE SECTOR AFTER NEARLY A DECADE OF PUBLIC SERVICE
(Los Angeles, California – August 13, 2003) Lydia H. Kennard, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), has announced her intention to leave her position this fall to consider new opportunities in the private sector after nearly a decade of public service.
Kennard, who was appointed to the position in March 2000 after serving as interim executive director since August 1999, said she told Mayor Jim Hahn of her decision and pledged to work closely with him, his staff and the Board of Airport Commissioners on a seamless transition of leadership for the system of four airports owned by the City.
“Working at Los Angeles World Airports since 1994 has been a challenging yet tremendously rewarding experience,” said Kennard. “It would be difficult for me to spend the considerable amount of time required to evaluate my professional options while facing the demands of my current role at LAWA,” said Kennard.
“It has been a privilege to serve the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports and I look forward with great anticipation to the future,” she added. “Mayor Hahn has been most gracious and supportive of my decision to return to the private sector, and I will be available to assist him in any way, particularly as he moves forward with his plans to modernize Los Angeles International Airport, a goal which I fully support.”
Before serving in the executive director position she was LAWA’s deputy executive director for facilities design, engineering, and construction and maintenance.
The four LAWA airports account for approximately 2,500 employees and a budget of $862 million annually. They are Los Angeles International (LAX), Ontario International (ONT), Van Nuys (VNY) and Palmdale Regional (PMD). LAX is the world’s largest origin and destination airport; ONT is one the fastest growing commercial airports in the state; and VNY is the world’s busiest general aviation airport.
Mayor Hahn praised Kennard’s leadership and thanked her for her many contributions to the City and its airports. “Under Lydia’s direction, the LAWA airports have set a high standard for airport management, financial stability, safety and security,” Hahn said. He cited completion of the $300-million ONT terminal complex, receipt of the highest bond rating ever assigned to a U.S. airport, and her nationally acclaimed response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 as among her top accomplishments.
With a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University, a Master's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a law degree from Harvard University, Kennard has a wide range of urban planning, design, engineering, construction, real estate and facilities expertise.
Before joining LAWA, she was president/principal-in-charge of KDG Development & Construction Consulting, a Los Angeles-based firm specializing in construction management for public and private sector clients. She was also a member of the Los Angeles Planning Commission. In her legal career, Kennard was an associate lawyer with a firm specializing in real estate and construction law.
Kennard is a member of the Board of Trustees of RAND, a nonprofit research and analysis institution; a director of IndyMac Bank; a director of UNOVA, Inc., an industrial technologies company, and a member of the UniHealth Foundation Board.
She was named 1995 "Woman of the Year" by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar. In 2000, the National Association of Women Business Owners-
Los Angeles named her "Civic Leader of the Year." Other honors include Rising Star Award, Los Angeles Urban League (2001); Deborah Award, Anti-Defamation League (2001); Distinguished Honoree, Allstate Insurance Co. (2002); Transportation and Real Estate Hero Award, March of Dimes (2002); Public Service Award, Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (2002); and Bernard S. Jefferson Award, West Los Angeles School of Law (2002).
