IAA deputy director of planning and development earns professional airport accreditation
Joins elite group of airport executives who have completed all requirements of 59-year-old program
Susan Zellers, deputy director of planning and development for the Indianapolis Airport Authority, has been named an Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).
According to AAAE, to earn her accreditation, “Susan had to successfully complete three phases of the accreditation process: (1) pass a 180-item multiple-choice examination, (2) fulfill a writing requirement, and (3) demonstrate, in the final interview by a panel of A.A.E.s, her knowledge of airport management, business administration, and general transportation economics. Susan’s achievement attests to her ability to meet these stringent requirements and her experience in managing a public airport.
“By fulfilling all the requirements leading to the title of Accredited Airport Executive, Susan joins a select group of individuals who have earned the designation in the nearly six decades of the accreditation program’s existence. At present, fewer than 10 percent of AAAE’s members throughout the country have earned the distinction.”
Susan has been with the IAA since 2010 and has more than 20 years of experience in aviation engineering and planning. She also holds a private pilot’s license with an instrument rating.
With her accreditation, she joins IAA Executive Director Robert Duncan and Robert Spitler, IAA’s director of parking operations, as IAA personnel certified as A.A.E.s.
About the Indianapolis Airport Authority
The Indianapolis Airport Authority owns and operates Indiana’s largest airport system. In addition to Indianapolis International Airport, its facilities include the Downtown Heliport, Eagle Creek Airpark, Hendricks County Airport, Indianapolis Regional Airport, and Metropolitan Airport. IND has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing it as a leader within its class, including best airport in North America in 2010 and 2012 in Airports Council International’s annual Airport Service Quality awards. IND is the first airport in the U.S. to win LEED® certification for an entire terminal campus, and the airport has won recognition for excellent customer service, concessions programs, and art and architecture.
IND’s economic impact in Central Indiana is more than $4.5 billion annually, and about 10,000 people work at the airport each day. IND serves more than 7 million business and PAGE 2 leisure travelers each year and averages 137 daily flights to 32 nonstop destinations. Home of the world's second-largest FedEx Express operation and the nation’s eighth-largest cargo facility, IND is committed to becoming the airport system of choice for both passenger and cargo service. For more information, visit IND’s Facebook page at Indianapolis International Airport and Twitter page at @INDairport.