Farewell, Woodie

I first met Woodie Woodward at the AAAE Convention in Baltimore in 2000, sitting with her and Kate Lang for an interview for AIRPORT BUSINESS. It wasn't until some two years later that I learned, from a moderator introducing her at one of her many public presentations, that she was a doctor. In fact, she earned her Ph.D. in University Administration and Personnel Management from the University of Kansas. It wasn't surprising that few in the audience had known of her doctoral status. Dr. Woodie Woodward is one of the most unassuming individuals you will ever meet; yet, her responsibilities as FAA's Associate Administrator for Airports are quite large and she has held the position during a very trying period for aviation. Be it funding, 9/11, the business of airports, or capacity, Woodie has constantly been a voice of reason a voice that is direct and not rose-colored, yet always compassionate. Airports may not have liked, at times, the message she brought, but they always knew she was being straight with them. It's a quality that one can find refreshing from top level officials in the Washington bureaucracy. This year, Woodie has been leading the call by the agency for industry to rethink how the U.S. aviation system is funded. She's also been calling for FAA to be more open to allowing airports to operate in a more market-oriented environment. For airport groups, the mere fact that the associate administrator is listening to their pleas for less restrictions on their business has been encouraging. In December, Dr. Woodward is retiring from FAA. Word is, she'll become a consultant. We wish her the best. It would be difficult and unfair to do anything but. Thanks for reading. Send me your comments by filling out the form below. I look forward to hearing from you.