Airport Experience News will honor former director and current consultant Oris Dunham and airport concessions leader Marlene Coleman at the upcoming 2022 Airport Experience Conference in Orlando. Longtime industry veteran Dunham will receive the AX Icon award, while Coleman will be recognized as the AXN Property Manager of the Year.
“The AXN Team is thrilled to announce these awards honoring two individuals who have had an extraordinarily positive impact on our industry over the years” said Melissa K. Montes, publisher and portfolio director for Airport Experience News. “Oris and Marlene stand apart as true leaders whose ongoing efforts better the overall industry.”
Dunham has been selected as this year’s AX Icon in recognition of his decades of service in forwarding the interests of airports and airport concessionaires. Dunham held leadership positions at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and the Port of Seattle throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, then became director general of Airports Council International – World from 1991 through 1997. Since then, Dunham has been actively influencing the industry, working with both airports and concessionaires through his consulting firm, Dunham Group LLC.
Dunham noted he’s been fortunate in the teams and mentors he’s worked with over the years. “It’s wonderful to be able to give back,” he said. “I’m sure there are a lot of other people who deserve this a lot more than me but I’m honored that I got it.”
Coleman has been selected as the AXN Property Manager of the Year for her forward-thinking approach to airport concessions management during a time of crisis. Coleman, director of concessions management at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), is heralded among her industry peers and partners for her role in quickly responding to concessionaire needs in a time of crisis to stabilize the situation then continuing to collaborate with industry stakeholders on forging the best way forward. Coleman is a longtime industry executive who held various concessions-related roles from 1998 to 2011 at ATL. She moved to another Atlanta city department for several years but returned to ATL to lead the concessions division in 2019.
Coleman noted the longer-than-expected pandemic and its impact on airport concessions, saying that airports and concessionaires were hit with new and difficult challenges at every stage. “I looked at it as an opportunity to pivot, to reassess and redefine how we do business in this industry, and to be a leader in shaping how we move forward.” she said. “Receiving this award at such a monumental time means a lot to me. It’s an honor.”
Coleman and Dunham will receive their awards during the closing reception of the 2022 Airport Experience Conference, which will be held Feb. 27 – March 2 in Orlando. The awards program will also feature three previously announced award recipients: Mark Gale, CEO and director of aviation, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), and AXN’s Director of the Year in the Large Airports division; Rebecca Hupp, director of Boise Airport (BOI) and Director of the Year in the Medium Airports division; and Rick Tucker, executive director and CEO of the Port of Huntsville, and Director of the Year in the Small Airports division.
The AX Icon award was created in 2021 to honor a lifetime of dedication to the airport concessions industry. The first recipient last year was Michael Baldwin, assistant vice president of concessions at DFW.
Launched in 2014, the AXN Property Manager of the Year is a coveted designation given each year to an airport concessions executive who exemplifies leadership, partnership and innovation in their role managing in airport concessions. The 2021 recipient was Dawn Hunter, director of aviation commercial management at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
