Transportation Infrastructure Committee Interviews Airport Advisory Commission Applicants (April 7, 2026)
Transportation Infrastructure Committee Meeting – April 7, 2026
The Transportation Infrastructure Committee met at 2:08 PM on April 7, 2026, to interview candidates for the Airport Advisory Commission (AAC) and recommend appointments to the full City Council. The committee approved the minutes from the March 3rd meeting, received a presentation on the AAC application process, and conducted interviews with 10 of the 16 shortlisted applicants. Following an executive session, the committee voted to recommend nine individuals for appointment.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of minutes from March 3, 2026 – motion carried unanimously.
Presentation
- Assistant City Clerk Jamie Nietel provided background on the AAC: 19 at-large members representing various sectors, two-year terms. Applications opened December 18, 2025; 60 received; 53 eligible after vetting by City Attorney’s office. An ad hoc committee (Districts 4 and 1) reviewed all and shortlisted 16. The committee would interview applicants and recommend to City Council for ratification.
- Councilmember Alderete Gavito clarified that the former Air Service Development Committee (ASDC) has been folded into the AAC, which will meet quarterly (or more if needed) to advise the Aviation Director.
Interviews
Each applicant gave a two-minute opening statement and answered three questions from council members: (1) balancing competing stakeholder interests, (2) skills/experiences to address opportunities and challenges, and (3) the most important role of the airport. Interviewees were:
- Alita (Ellie) Smith – Aerospace engineer, FAA experience, lifelong aviation enthusiast. Emphasized understanding airline business, airfield design, and passenger experience.
- Brett Finley – CEO, Metro San Antonio Chamber of Commerce; former ASDC member. Stressed affordability, accessibility, and the airport as an economic catalyst.
- Michael Gibbs – Former EVP and General Counsel at Whataburger; former ASDC member. Cited construction and legal experience; sees transportation as key to commerce.
- Earl Jackson – Retired air traffic controller (40+ years) at San Antonio; mediator experience. Highlighted deep local airport relationships and operational knowledge.
- Ryan Fender – General Manager of Grand Hyatt San Antonio; hospitality background. Noted airport as critical gateway for tourism and business; stressed filling the demand funnel.
- Deborah Omawale Jarman – Retired air traffic manager, CEO of San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum; incumbent AAC member. Advocated for community voice, career access, and informed cheerleading for the airport.
- Camila Montoya – Marketing professor at A&M San Antonio; avid traveler. Focused on creating partnerships and honest feedback; sees airport as portal.
- William Brindell – President/CEO of San Antonio Visitor Alliance; hospitality industry leader. Emphasized information sharing to address competing interests; airport as front porch.
- Kathleen Frazier – Broadcast meteorologist and small business owner. Brought weather expertise and traveler perspective; highlighted first impressions.
- Michael Frye – Professor of engineering at UIW, expert in autonomy and advanced air mobility (UAM). Noted opportunities in drones and UAM; stressed city priorities and budget constraints.
(Additionally, Juanita Sepulveda was not present and did not provide a written statement.)
Key Outcomes
- The committee went into executive session at 3:29 PM and reconvened at 3:50 PM; no official action was taken in executive session.
- Chair McKee Rodriguez thanked all applicants and encouraged continued engagement.
- A motion was made and seconded to recommend the following individuals to the full City Council for appointment to the Airport Advisory Commission through April 2028 (term debated as March 18 vs. April 18 vs. April 16, 2028):
- Aviation Industry: Bailey on Cholio (name as transcribed) and Ellie Smith
- Business Community: Brett Finley
- FAA Category: Earl Jackson
- Travel and Tourism Industry: Ryan Fender
- Community Category: Nicholas Cannon, Roger Dillard, Michael Frye, and Deborah Omawale Jarman
- The motion carried unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at 3:51 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. The time is now 2 08 p.m. on April 7, 2026, and the meeting of the Transportation Infrastructure Committee is now called to order. Madam Clerk, can you please call roll? Councilmember Corps. Councilmember Mungia. Present. Councilmember Alderete Gavito here. Council Member Spears. Chair McKee Rodriguez. Present. Chair, we have Corn. Wonderful, thank you. Um, just for the uh out of respect for each of the applicants' time, what we'll do is we'll start off with uh the presentation and then we'll give a few minutes for Councilmember Spears to get here because I would pre much prefer everybody be heard by all council members, and then we'll um begin the interviews at that point. Oh yes. Okay, item one is approval of minutes from March 3rd. Do I understand a motion for approval? Motion to approve. Second call. All in favor? Aye. Motion carries. Sorry. Good afternoon. I'm Jamie Nietel, Assistant City Clerk. I will be presenting background information about the airport advisory commission and our overall process. The airport advisory commission advises the aviation director on matters affecting the city's airports and air transportation initiatives. The commission is composed of 19 at-large members representing the aviation industry, travel and tourism industry, ground trans ground transportation industry, airport business community, large business community, and the general community at large, including a member of the Alamo Area Council of Governments, and a non-voting representative of the federal aviation administration. Each member serves a two-year term with appointments staggered from year to year. The Office of the City Clerk opened applications on December 18th, 2025, which is 90 days prior to the expiration of the current term. The communications and engagement department released a web and social media posting on February 2nd of this year. By closing date of March 5th, we received a total of 60 applications. The city attorney's office vetted 60 applications, and 53 were eligible. An ad hoc committee was formed by the chair, and that included District 4 and District 9 council members. The ad hoc committee review reviewed all 53 applications and shortlisted to 16 applications. The committee will interview those applicants today and make a recommendation to the full city council. City Council will vote on the full board appointments during an A session. After the vote, the city clerk will notify the appointed individuals and ask them to complete the proper forms, administer the oath of office, and invite them to complete the municipal leadership institute training. Once those steps are completed, they can be seated on the board. On this slide, you find the list of individuals that have been placed on the short list for the different categories. Please note that anyone that is listed under the community category can serve in other categories. Juanita Supulveda is not here today and did not provide a written statement. The process today will begin with each applicant providing a two-minute opening statement. For an applicant for any applicants who are not able to attend, a written statement has been included in your packet. If the chair would like the city clerk's office to read the statement, I am prepared to do so. All candidates will be sequestered during the interviews and will not be able to listen to each other's answers to the questions. The council committee will interview all applicants, then move into exec session to deliberate. No formal action may be taken in executive session. Afterward, the committee will reconvene, and a community committee member will make a motion for a recommendation to be forward forwarded to the full city council for appointment. This concludes my presentation.
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