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Issue link: http://airportbusiness.epubxp.com/i/193245
40 under forty AGE 36 ERIC SILVERMAN ❘ ERIC Silverman, airport operations manager at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), recalls that he's always been fascinated with flight. "I would stop doing everything and stare into the sky when an airplane went by; I still do," he says. Silverman started his aviation career at Philadelphia International Airport as an intern in its Operations unit in 1997. After graduating from Ohio State University in 2000 with a Bachelor's degree in aviation management, Silverman was employed full time as an airport administrative trainee and has been promoted through the ranks to airport operations manager. His initiative and commitment have had a profound impact on operational strategy and planning at PHL. On his own initiative, Silverman began AIRPORT OPERATIONS MANAGER PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT compiling an in-house operational weather forecast, provided daily to airport management, to keep management personnel informed of weather events that may impact the airport along with surrounding airports. This is done even during non-business hours. Recognizing a need for close coordination and effective communication, Silverman initiated conference calls with the FAA, Air Traffic Control, tenant airlines, and operations staff during snow storms, thunderstorms, and other events that impact airline operations. In the 10 years since, participation has grown to include airline operations centers, the FAA Command Center, and all airport tenants. Recognizing the need for the best possible information during adverse conditions, Silverman also spearheaded the effort to gain access to the FAA's Command Center IntraNet and Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS), an effort he considers to be his proudest achievement to date. These systems help PHL manage airfield operations during irregular operations, and effectively plan for aircraft diverted to Philadelphia and arrange recovery of those diverted away. Additionally, Silverman has worked closely with an FAA-approved vendor for PHL to be a test site for ADSB ground radar tracking systems. Combined, these systems allow the Airport Operations unit to have a full and complete picture of all airfield activities. YEARS IN AVIATION 13 "Over the course of his career, Eric's initiative and commitment has had a profound impact on operational strategy and planning at PHL and has overflowed into other parts of the City of Philadelphia." KEITH BRUNE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, AVIATION OPERATIONS & FACILITIES, PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AGE 38 RENEE TUFTS ❘ AVIATION became a bug Renee Tufts says she "needed a fix for" after a friend of her father's took her and her sister on a quick introductory flight over their home in northern Wisconsin. Following a family trip to Colorado and a brief glimpse of the Thunderbirds soaring over the U.S. Air Force Academy, this "interest in aviation" became a life goal. To achieve this goal, Tufts studied at the University of North Dakota to earn a degree in airport management and her private pilot's license. Today she has been in the field she loves for more than 13 years, and has been the security manager at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) for the past eight years. She started her aviation career at PHL as an airport adminis- 28 airportbusiness October 2013 AIRPORT SECURITY MANAGER PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT trative trainee in the Security Department in 2000. Over the next five years, she rose through the ranks to become the security manager of one of the busiest international airports in the United States. As PHL's security manager and primary airport security coordinator, Tufts is responsible for the development, enforcement and continued maintenance of the Airport Security Program (ASP) document. She is a member of the Public Safety & Security committee for Airports Council International–North America, and the Transportation Security Services committee for the American Association of Airport Executives. Tufts' active role in all aspects of airport security and her relationships with the tenants and federal partners assists PHL in creating mitigation strategies that address identified vulnerabilities. These relationships with the airport community help Tufts constantly improve PHL's security efforts and help find innovative ways to keep operations safe and secure. She considers the development and deployment of PHL's unmanned exit lane system her greatest achievement. "My superiors let me try a layered technology approach and it worked, and now other airports are now coming and looking at it," she says. "Normally at an airport of this size, it's easier to build off of something that's been done successfully somewhere else YEARS IN and improve on their lessons learned." AVIATION 13