Waco has picked Santa Fe Regional Airport Manager James Harris, a former Marine Corps aviation operations supervisor, as the next leader of Waco Regional Airport.
“We are thrilled to welcome James Harris to the City of Waco team,” Assistant City Manager Blu Kostelich said in a press release. “His leadership style, technical knowledge, and dedication to aviation make him the ideal person to guide Waco Regional Airport into its next chapter of progress and success.”
James C. Harris
Harris
Harris will leave the Santa Fe role later this month and start in Waco on June 16.
Longtime Waco Aviation Director Joel Martinez stepped down in September and took a planning and development job with Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., a design, engineering, architecture and environmental science firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Michael Reisman, a former chief operating officer at the Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina, has served as Waco’s interim aviation director.
In Santa Fe, Harris led marketing and development initiatives that increased airport revenue and passenger traffic, according to the city’s press release. Santa Fe Regional hosts two commercial airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines, offering direct flights to Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Denver. Waco Regional for several years has hosted only American Airlines offering direct flights to Dallas. The same type of regional jets, Bombardier CRJ700s, typically serve both airports.
Harris will take over about a year-and-a-half after Waco Regional completed a $10 million terminal renovation, and shortly after leaders introduced a proposal to explore charging for parking for the first time.
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Before Santa Fe, Harris also held leadership roles at the Clovis Regional Airport in New Mexico, Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina. He also served eight years in the Marine Corps.
“It’s an honor to join the exceptional team at Waco Regional Airport,” Harris said in the city press release. “Waco is a vibrant, growing community with a strong foundation in regional air service. I’m excited to build on that success by fostering a safe, efficient, and passenger-friendly experience for all who travel through our airport.”
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