Company: Pittsburgh International Airport, Pittsburgh, PA
Company Description: Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is a world-leading origin-and-destination airport, recruiting multiple new domestic and international carriers and redefining itself as a space entirely in service to its passengers, employees and region. PIT is building a new, state of the art, $1.4 billion terminal. It is one of the only airports in the world powered completely by its own microgrid.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Woman of the Year - Industry
 Nomination Title: Christina Cassotis, CEO
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2021 of the nominated woman, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below:
n/a
- Briefly describe the nominated individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
Christina Cassotis is CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), which she joined in January 2015. She is a fixture in the Pittsburgh region and global aviation industry as a dynamic, change-making, people-focused leader. Under Christina’s leadership, PIT experienced record growth since US Airways abandoned its hub there, recruiting multiple new domestic and international carriers, including during the pandemic.
Christina is redefining the role airports play in passenger experience. Everything Christina does is firstly focused on people to change the industry and make it more efficient, resilient, and accessible to all, a distinctly different approach for the industry.
Airport functions do not usually factor the importance of belonging. Christina, however, is focused on making PIT the most accessible airport in the world. She also made it a leader in sustainability, directing the creation of PIT’s microgrid which powers the entire airport campus.
Despite typically strained relationships between airports and airlines, Christina’s strong relationship with PIT’s airlines enabled her to negotiate that they pay for PIT’s new, $1.4 billion terminal. There are no local tax dollars used for the project.
Christina's career began at the Massachusets Port Authority. She went on to lead a global team of avation consultants at SH&E.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 139 words used.
Microgrid:
Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Aviation & Robotics Summit
Infrastructure, Workforce & Belonging
- Outline the nominee's achievements since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 239 words used.
Sustainability:
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Developing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility on airport campus, making PIT the only airport in the world to do so.
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Establishing a hydrogen hub powering regional transit agency’s buses to support greening the Pittsburgh region.
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Built a microgrid that completely powers the airport, keeping it off the traditional grid and making PIT one of the most resilient and efficient airports in the world.
Innovation:
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Launched xBridge Innovation Platform at PIT as a proving ground for new technologies to be developed, tested and activated at the airport, with an opportunity to scale and market beyond.
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Spearheaded the first-of-its-kind aviation and robotics summit convening Pittsburgh roboticists and the global aviation industry to develop automation solutions for aviation’s most pressing challenges, resulting in viable solutions and scalable concepts.
Infrastructure & Workforce:
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Broke ground on new $1.4 billion terminal, fully funded without local taxpayer money and being built by the local community with locally-sourced materials.
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Created PIT2Work, a workforce development pipeline connecting community members with free construction skills training and access to opportunities, all taking place on the terminal construction site.
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Built a childcare center to provide working parents, especially women and people of color, with childcare while at work and break down barriers to access work.
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Partnered with regional transit agency to increase the number of buses servicing the airport so more community members can access airport jobs.
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
- Sustainability: No other commercial airport in the world operates off the traditional grid via its own microgrid, which opened in 2021. See Fast Company award referenced below. PIT would also be the first airport in the world to produce SAF on-site. See Travel Weekly story and flyer referenced below.
- Innovation: The Aviation & Robotics Summit was concepted in the xBridge, taking place in April 2023. It was the first-ever such event to bring local roboticists (Pittsburgh is a global hub for robotics talent) with the global aviation industry to solve some of aviation’s biggest challenges. These previously disparate sectors came together in Pittsburgh for networking and lab-style workshopping sessions, during which aviation industry members shared their problems and roboticists concepted scalable, marketable solutions.
- Infrastructure & Workforce: Christina led the development of a workforce development program called PIT2Work, launched in June, to bring together construction skills-training resources and community members on the terminal construction site. The program provides trainees pre-certification classes and connections to job opportunities on-site. This type of workforce pipeline is not a common practice. The unique approach, along with the airport’s new childcare center, were recognized by the Biden Administration. First Lady Jill Biden visited PIT on July 18 to tout the innovative work occurring here to bring together infrastructure and workforce as the preeminent example of job creation and positive impact to the local economy. Videos and an op ed referenced below further explain these programs and how they are game changers for aviation and any industry.
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