![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ken-Nichols-TAA-edit.jpg\")
Nichols will be responsible for the strategic leadership,\nplanning, coordination, and management of airport development projects,\nprograms, and initiatives for the TAA at Tucson International Airport (TUS) and\nRyan Airfield (RYN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKen is a great addition to the TAA Executive Team. He\nbrings more than three decades of knowledge and engineering experience for\nairports,\u201d said TAA President and CEO Danette Bewley. \u201cWe have many exciting\nprojects and opportunities over the next several years, so this was a critical\nhire for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to joining the TAA, Nichols served as a Senior Project\nManager at DOWL, LLC, a professional services firm skilled in planning,\nsurveying, engineering, environmental, and other support services. During his\ncareer, Nichols has worked on staff for three airports and with more than 50\nairports through consulting assignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nichols has completed several dozen planning, environmental,\nand infrastructure projects at airports of all sizes across the western United\nStates and Alaska. He brings experience with all phases of complex, multi-year\ncapital improvement programs with construction costs exceeding $100 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis position is an incredible opportunity for me to join\nthe TAA Executive Team to lead completion of several legacy projects that will\nbe implemented in the next 10 years at both airports,\u201d said Nichols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nichols is a graduate of University of Idaho and is a\nProfessional Engineer (PE) in seven states. He holds his Certified Member (CM)\naccreditation through the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and\nplans to pursue his Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sarah-Simmons-edit.jpg\")
Simmons will direct and coordinate environmental management,\nplanning, sustainability, and compliance activities for Tucson International\nAirport (TUS) and Ryan Airfield (RYN). She will also ensure the TAA remains in\ncompliance with the Consent Decree obligations associated with the Tucson\nInternational Airport Superfund Site. Simmons, an Arizona and Nevada\nprofessional environmental engineer, joins the TAA with a deep understanding of\nenvironmental projects around the TUS campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe responsibility we hold as stewards of the airport\nenvironment requires someone with a very special skill set,\u201d said Bewley. \u201cThe\nTAA is pleased that Sarah has joined our team to fill this critical role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to joining the organization, she worked for GHD\nconsulting as an engineer and project manager on the TAA\u2019s Soils Remediation\nProject. On top of her impressive qualifications, that level of institutional\nknowledge will allow Simmons to hit the ground running as a director, according\nto TAA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Bruce Goetz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are excited about multiple projects that will transform\nTUS and Ryan Airfield, and each one has an environmental component,\u201d said\nGoetz. \u201cAs we plan for the future of our airport system, sustainability is a\nmajor component that the TAA strives to increase. We are excited to see the\nimpact that Sarah makes as a part of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simmons\u2019 environmental career spans more than a decade and\nincludes successful execution of projects from their engineering to their\nconstruction phases. That experience includes project management, project cost\nestimating and tracking, coordination, oversight, environmental compliance, field\nsampling, Phase I\/II Environmental Site Assessments (ESA\u2019s), and emerging\ncontaminant investigations. Simmons earned two bachelor\u2019s degrees from\nLouisiana State University in Environmental Engineering and Construction\nManagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emin-Aydin.jpg\")
As Director of Properties and Concessions, Aydin is\nresponsible for planning, managing, and coordinating many facets of the\nBusiness and Commercial Development Division in property and lease management,\nconcessions, and ground transportation for the TAA, Tucson International\nAirport (TUS) and Ryan Airfield (RYN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to joining the TAA in 2021 as the Manager of\nProperties and Concessions, Aydin oversaw leasing and property management\nactivities for Charleston County Aviation Authority and its three airports.\nAfter just six months with the TAA, he was the clear choice for this new\nleadership role, according to John Voorhees, Vice President \/ Chief Commercial\nOfficer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEmin is a great leader,\u201d said Voorhees. \u201cHis insight has\nbenefitted the team since his first day on the job and I look forward to seeing\nhim operate in this new role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bewley shared, \u201cI am always pleased when we can promote from\nwithin the organization. I look forward to seeing his growth in the new role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aydin is well versed in aeronautical and nonaeronautical\nagreements, properties contracts, airport concessions, Airport Concessions\nDisadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) Program compliance. His resume also\nincludes managerial positions with Ambassador\u2019s Plus and HealthCare Systems of\nParking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aydin is a graduate of Hacettepe University, where he earned\na degree in Social Studies \/ Archaeology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kim-DeLaTorre.jpg\")
DeLaTorre previously served as TAA Manager of Employee\nServices since August 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI first became aware of Kim\u2019s immense talent when we\ncollaborated at our previous employer,\u201d said Vice President and Chief People\nOfficer Twyla Salaiz. \u201cIt was only a matter of time for her to rise to the\nchallenge of a larger position within the TAA. I am so excited to see her\nskillset leveraged to its full potential for the benefit of our organization\nand the Southern Arizona region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In her new role, DeLaTorre is responsible to plan, develop,\nmanage, and implement activities of the TAA People Operations Department which\nprovides comprehensive human resource products and services to TAA and its\nemployees. Focus areas include talent acquisition, employee relations, benefits\nand wellness, leave administration, compensation, performance management and\nall other HR Services offered to TAA employees. She will also support Talent\nLifecycle actions of talent development, management, retention, and workforce\nplanning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am always pleased when we can promote from within the\norganization,\u201d said Danette Bewley, President\/CEO. \u201cKim has so much to offer. I\nlook forward to seeing her grow in this new role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since assuming her new role with the TAA, DeLaTorre has\njoined a working group focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as\norganized by Airports Council International \u2013 North America (ACI-NA). Her\nexperience with DEI initiatives, talent management, and employee development\nmake her a standout contributor at both the organizational and national level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to joining the TAA, her resume includes DEI, talent\ndevelopment, and talent acquisition at Raytheon Technologies, as well as work\nin succession planning, leadership assessment\/career development, program\nmanagement, and data analysis\/integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DeLaTorre is a graduate of Arizona State University with a\ndegree in Organizational Leadership. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Tucson Airport Authority (TAA) has announced a number of new hires and promotions. Ken Nichols is joining TAA as Vice President of Planning and Engineering. Sarah Simmons was hired as Director of Sustainability & Environmental Services. Receiving promotions are Emin Aydin to Director of Properties and Concessions and Kim DeLaTorre to Director of People […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arizona"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24121"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24126,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24121\/revisions\/24126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}