After almost 40 years of working for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, Jeff Hamiel will be retiring from his position of executive director and CEO, effective May 16.
Hamiel has overseen the operations of one of the country’s largest airport systems, which includes Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) and six general aviation airports: Airlake (LVN), Anoka County-Blaine, Crystal (MIC), Flying Cloud (FCM), Lake Elmo and St. Paul Downtown (STP).
“Through nearly 40 years of service to the Metropolitan Airports Commission, Jeff Hamiel has made an indelible impact on air travel in Minnesota and has provided a strong voice for airports nationally,” says Dan Boivin, chairman of the MAC. “Under his leadership, Minneapolis-St. Paul International has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s best-managed airports. The number of passengers served annually has more than quadrupled during Jeff’s tenure. He has provided a steady hand to keep air service strong in Minnesota not only in good times but also when airlines, one after another, were filing for bankruptcy, merging and discontinuing hub operations at other airports.”
Hamiel was a U.S. Air Force pilot when he joined the MAC in 1977 as its first noise-program manager. He became assistant operations director in 1980 and then director of operations in 1983. He was deputy executive director in 1984 before he was named executive director and CEO in 1985. While rising through the ranks, Hamiel continued to serve in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as its chief pilot and commander of the 96th Airlift Squadron until he retired from military duty in 1998.
Throughout his time with the MAC, Hamiel has overseen the $3 billion expansion that included a new Terminal 2-Humphrey; new Terminal 1-Lindbergh Concourses A and B and additional gates on Concourse C; a new fourth runway; new parking, transit and auto rental facilities; new cargo facilities; improved aircraft de-icing and stormwater retention facilities; new roadways; installation of light rail tunnels and stations; and replacement of hundreds of acres of 1960s-era airfield pavement. He also helped develop the most extensive noise-mitigation program in the U.S. and carried the MAC through the bankruptcy of Northwest Airlines in 2005 and the acquisition of Northwest by Delta Air Lines in 2008.
Hamiel has served as a board member and chairman of Airports Council International-North America. He also chaired the organization’s International Affairs Committee and was a member of its Governmental Affairs and Environmental committees. Additionally, he was a board member and special advisor for ACI, and he is a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives.
The MAC has hired Spencer Stuart, an executive recruiting firm, to conduct a national search for Hamiel’s replacement.
