When Juliana Peña was growing up, she had a collection of books showcasing how different things worked. Her favorite book was always the one with the airplanes.
“Since I was little, I was fascinated by the fact that airplanes can defy gravity and carry a bunch of people and luggage and fuel and make it from point A to B,” she said.
Peña came to the U.S. in 2000 to escape violence being directed towards her family in Colombia. She worked multiple jobs and put herself through college to eventually get a job in aviation.
Peña joined the Orlando International Airport (MCO) Marketing and Air Service Development team in December 2015 as assistant manager, business development. She was promoted to her current position as manager, air service and business development in November 2017 where she recruits foreign flag airlines to MCO.
Peña brought more than 10 years of experience in economic development and international business development, promoting Orlando and Florida to the world. Although Peña did not have an aviation background, traveling and airplanes have always been her passion.
She leverages her community network to identify innovative marketing opportunities to promote the airport and its airline partners.
Her extensive knowledge of international cultures and multicultural communications has significantly helped in shaping the MCO air service development strategy to pursue and build the relationship with airlines in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Being able to communicate fluently in Spanish, French and Portuguese has enabled Peña to build rapport with MCO’s airline partners. Peña played a key role in the return of GOL Airlines from Brazil to MCO, overseeing the project from proposal to wheels down.
Most recently, she worked with Aerolineas Argentinas to help seal the deal announcing the coveted MCO-Buenos Aires nonstop flight.
During her first year in the team, Peña saw the need to streamline the way airline communications and event participation notes are tracked and shared among the team. She took it upon herself to research, identify and implement a customer relationship management tool for MCO.
In 2016, she was recognized among Central Florida’s top 25 influential Hispanics.
