Steven C. Roque A.C. E., C.M.
Assistant Vice President of Operations Control
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Age: 37
- Alma Mater: Florida Tech
- Favorite Aircraft: A380
- Favorite Book: Stone Barrington Series by Stuart Woods
- Favorite TV Show: Friday Night Lights
- Favorite Movie: Top Gun
- Favorite Hobbies: Working out
2018 was a big year for Steven Roque, who was the division manager for landside operations at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. In that job, he oversaw ground transportation, commercial vehicle permitting, and landside operations, which includes all roadways, buildings and terminals.
Roque spent the past year preparing Bush Intercontinental for Super Bowl 51, developing new concepts for commercial vehicle operations, VIP movements and passenger flow. And one of his last projects was to create a commercial vehicle hold lot, which integrated taxis, buses, TNCs, limousines and a cell phone waiting lot into one location. He has since been named assistant vice president of operations control at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
“We work in a world where being 100 percent correct is considered average and anything less than 100 percent can get people hurt or killed, all while making national news. This was a quote one of my mentors once said that has always resonated with me,” said Roque. “No two days are ever the same. At any given moment, the decisions my team and I make can significantly impact the lives and experiences of thousands of people.”
One of Roque’s favorite past times growing up was when his family traveled to Portugal, where they’re from. “The experience of traveling to the airport, the anticipation of waiting to board while looking out onto the tarmac, and then the excitement of takeoff and landing had me hooked,” he said. “Aviation was in my blood from a young age and to the surprise of my parents, it became my career objective.”
When you think about what exactly aviation really is, you can’t help but be amazed by it all, said Roque.
“We live in a world where we have the ability to transport people, animals and cargo of any
kind anywhere in the world within a few hours, all while defying gravity in machines that have no business being in the sky,” he observed. “It’s a one-of-a-kind industry.”
As for the future of aviation? Roque sees supersonic passenger jets. “One constant in passenger air travel is that aircraft continue to get bigger, so as to hold more and more passengers and cargo. However, the need to get them to their destination faster has been left on the back burner ever since the Concorde had its last flight in 2003,” he said. “From what I have read, several companies have projected that supersonic passenger flight would return within the next decade. My only hope is that it happens quickly.”
