Thella Bowens, chief executive of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, will retire on March 31, 2017.
Bowens, who is ARN’s Director of the Year in the large airport category this year, has held the position at the helm of San Diego International (SAN) for 15 years and has been with SAN for nearly 21 years. She is the only person to hold the top executive position at the airport authority, which was formed in 2003 and is the owner and operator of SAN.
The authority said its next step will be to find a replacement for Bowens.
Bowens recently told ARN that the organization she helped build over the past 15 years is her crowning achievement.
“Our employees and this organization – that’s what I think is the greatest legacy I have here,” Bowens said. And in announcing her retirement, Bowens said she has “passionately enjoyed” her time at SAN, adding that she is “so very proud of our exemplary organization and high-performing team.”
Airport Authority Board Chairman April Boling noted many of Bowens’ achievements. “From the launch of the authority in 2003, to a successful pivot after the defeat of the 2006 ballot measure, to the expansion of Terminal 2 and construction of the Rental Car Center, to adding significant new domestic and international nonstop routes, to exemplary financial growth and stewardship, to making the airport a model of sustainability, her accomplishments comprise a stunning legacy,” Boling said.
Bowens is also credited with establishing SAN as an international gateway, adding flights to the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and Mexico. New nonstop service to Germany and Switzerland is slated to launch in 2017.
Upon retirement, Bowens plans to move to Texas, where she once worked and where many members of her family reside.
A full feature on Bowens can be found in ARN’s December/January issue.
