St. Louis Airport Authority Announces Search Committee For New Chief Executive Officer

The St. Louis Airport Authority today announced the formal establishment of a search committee to lead the national recruitment process for its next chief executive officer, succeeding Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, who retires from the position in August after a highly successful tenure.

The committee will guide Mayor Cara Spencer in the selection of a new leader to drive the airport's strategic growth, infrastructure modernization and economic impact.

The newly appointed search committee comprises six distinguished leaders, bringing together deep expertise in aviation, governance and corporate leadership:

• Kim Becker: Recently retired CEO of San Diego International Airport, contributing direct experience in large-scale airport management, infrastructure development and aviation operations.
• June Fowler: Retired vice president of corporate and public communications at BJC HealthCare, adding deep expertise in regional public relations, community engagement and healthcare administration.
• Kathy Mazzarella: Chairman, president and CEO of Graybar, providing top-tier corporate governance, supply chain management and major regional business leadership.
• Casey Millburg: Chief of staff for the St. Louis Mayor's Office, ensuring direct alignment with city governance, regional public policy and civic priorities.
• Robert (Bob) Montgomery: Former airport affairs executive at Southwest Airlines and now independent consultant, offering decades of strategic commercial aviation leadership and deep airport industry knowledge.
• Ambassador Kevin F. O'Malley: Former U.S. ambassador to Ireland, bringing extensive experience in international diplomacy, legal affairs and federal regulatory frameworks.

The committee will also be supported by Jeff Mazur, partner at Greater St. Louis, Inc., and Jason Van Eaton of Soaring Hawk Consulting, former executive vice president, regulatory and corporate affairs, Southwest Airlines.

The City, with the support of Greater St. Louis Inc., has retained Korn Ferry (Michael Bell, Johnny Schumacher), a preeminent global executive search firm with deep expertise in the global airport industry, to support the recruitment. Individuals wishing to express interest in the role or to share their views on the position should contact Michael Bell at [email protected].

Having secured input from various stakeholder groups, the search committee and Korn Ferry are now actively engaging in candidate development in the marketplace with the goal of making a recommendation to the mayor within a few months.