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A Humble Beginning, Now 40+ Years Strong

November 8, 1988

Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) fka NAMBAC Corp. Is Founded

Concurrent with the FAA Minority Business Enterprise Compliance Conference held May 15–17, 1988 in Los Angeles, CA, a handful of individuals who were deeply concerned about the economic disparities and barriers preventing minorities and women from fair competition for airport business and jobs officially incorporated NAMBAC Corp. now known as the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) on November 8, 1988, in Miami, FL.  

November 8, 1988

1987

Congress Reauthorized and Amended the Statutory DBE Program

Congress reauthorized and amended the statutory DBE program. In the transportation legislation of that year, Congress, among other changes, added women to the groups presumed to be disadvantaged. Since 1987, DOT has established a single DBE goal, encompassing firms owned by women and minority group members.

1987

May 3–4, 1984

First FAA Minority Business Seminar Is Hosted

Leon Watkins, then Director of FAA Civil Rights, fully supported these efforts, laying the foundation for the first FAA Minority Business Seminar that was held in Miami, Florida from May 3–4, 1984.  Richard Judy, then Director of Aviation at Miami International Airport, approved a request by his staff to host the Seminar.  A six-person planning committee —  Esterlene Lewis; C. W. “Bill” Jennings; Melvin McCray; Leon Watkins; Clement Monge; and Clark Sharpe – organized and executed the Seminar within a four-month period to focus mainly on creating an understanding of Part 23 and the range of opportunities that it could present.  The 74 Seminar attendees, representing some of the largest airports in the country, were enthusiastic about the Part 23 regulation and prospects for enhancing business opportunities for minorities and women.

May 3–4, 1984

1983

AMAC’s Seeds are Planted

Given the combination of FAA enforcement and industry wide interest to comply with 49 CFR Part 23, a group of forward-thinking individuals concluded that there were enormous possibilities for minority and women participation in airport business opportunities. This group gathered in the Administrator’s conference room at FAA Headquarters in Washington, DC on a fall day in 1983 and agreed that a seminar should serve as the starting point to begin a national dialogue on how to achieve enhanced opportunities and success for women and minority businesses.

1983

1983

Congress Enacts First DBE Statutory Provision

Congress enacted the first DBE statutory provision. This provision required USDOT to ensure that at least 10% of the funds authorized for the highway and transit federal financial assistance programs be expended with DBEs.

1983

READ MORE OF AMAC'S HISTORY

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