A Humble Beginning, Now 40+ Years Strong
June 28, 2025
AMAC Celebrated the AMAC Airport Business Conference’s 40th Anniversary
The 40th Annual AMAC Airport Business Conference took off in New Orleans with energy and purpose, celebrating 40 years of promoting equity in the aviation industry. Hosted by the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the conference brought together over 1,500 attendees, combining history, innovation and lively cultural energy into an engaging, multi-day event.
June 28, 2025
February 10, 2025
AMAC Launched Runway to Success—a Supplier Pitch Competition that Elevates Minority and Women Entrepreneurs
AMAC launched Runway to Success (Rts), a progressive “Shark-Tank” tournament-style pitch competition that offers suppliers an opportunity to expand their business into the airport food and retail industry. RtS is a key component of the AMAC Supplier Innovation Platform, which aims to provide participants with a platform to showcase groundbreaking ideas, foster collaboration, and drive forward solutions that enhance operational efficiency, sustainability, and the customer experience, in partnership with aviation industry experts and decision-makers.
February 10, 2025
January 21, 2024
AMAC Publishes Its 2024–2027 Strategic Plan
AMAC published its 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, aimed to strengthen advocacy efforts, deploy AMAC’s thought leadership, expand business contracting opportunities, diversify leadership and management in the industry, and build AMAC’s organizational capacity through operational sustainability and enhanced member value.
January 21, 2024
2024
AMAC Launched an Airport Concessions Business Capacity Accelerator in Collaboration with ATL Airport, Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center and Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs
In partnership with the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center and Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE), AMAC launched a new concessions cohort for minority and underserved businesses at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
2024
2024
AMAC Hosted the 1st Annual She SOARS—Women in Aviation Summit
AMAC hosted the 1st Annual She SOARS—Women in Aviation Summit with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, GA. Nearly 50 speakers and over 300 attendees in the aviation industry, including mid- and upper-management professionals, HR leaders, airport governing authorities, government officials and industry association leaders, convened to focus on the multifaceted opportunities available to women in the workplace, including career growth, professional development, and the well-being of both mind and body.
2024
2023
AMAC Lobbying Efforts Incorporated Into the H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act
The AMAC Government Affairs Committee successfully had key provisions it lobbied for included in the approved H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act. This bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through FY2028, including activities and programs related to airport planning and development, facilities and equipment, and operations.
2023
Former AMAC Presidents
Gene Roth
2007–2010
Shelby Scales
2015–2016
Krystal Brumfield
2017–2019
First Board of Directors
Board Officers
- Chair: John Greer, Nashville Airport Authority (Nashville, TN)
- Vice Chair: Felker Ward, Jr., Concessions International (Atlanta, GA)
- Secretary: Geri Castillo (Denver, CO)
- Treasurer: Esterlene Lewis, Miami-Dade Aviation Department (Miami, FL)
Board Members
- Robert Crews (Linden, NJ)
- Thelma Duggins (Silver Spring, MD)
- Sue Ling Gin (Chicago, IL)
- Dave Miller, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Atlanta, GA)
- John Noble, St. Louis Lambert International Airport (St. Louis, MO)
- Reba Smallwood (Philadelphia, PA)
- Dianne Waters, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (Dallas, TX)
FAA Champions
- Clark Sharpe
- Leon Watkins
First Members
- Individual: Robert M. Blackwell, Detroit Commissioner
- Business: Geri Castillo
- Corporation: Host International, Inc.; Company Representative: Clarence Daniels, Jr.
- Airport: Memphis – Shelby County Airport Authority
Note Regarding Founders: Although it has been widely accepted that Leon Watkins and Clark Sharpe were among the AMAC Founders, this is untrue as they were federal employees and were forbidden to belong to trade associations. Leon initiated a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Seminar in response to the promulgation of 49 CFR Part 26 (construction) by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). This Seminar was held annually in different locations, starting in the mid-1980s in Miami, FL. Leon also allowed a group of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) from across the U.S. to meet in his office to discuss and resolve a variety of challenges impacting their businesses. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) held and sponsored the joint seminar for several years. During this time, the AMAC Founders formalized and incorporated the Airport Minority Advisory Committee (AMAC) and joined forces with the FAA to hold the first AMAC/FAA MBE Conference. The FAA seminar continued apart from AMAC’s conference for several years and is now the Annual FAA National Civil Rights Training Conference for Airports, which is separate from the Annual AMAC Airport Business Conference