Up Close with Diane Crews

By Meaghan Branham

When Diane Crews left college to get married and start her family, she expected one day to resume her studies. Seventeen years later, after her husband sustained a serious injury that left him unable to work during his recovery, Crews stepped up to face the challenge head-on: “I found myself in an untenable situation where I couldn’t support my family. I was very angry at myself, and I vowed to go back to school as soon as I could. I never veered from that course.” She began working for a local municipality while attending night classes to complete her degree in public administration, eventually enrolling in graduate school and taking on a role working for the mayor and city commission of Sanford. She attributes the next move in her career to fate: beginning an administrative position at the Orlando Sanford International Airport under Larry Dale, the airport’s president and a former mayor of Sanford. Fifteen years later, in August 2015, she was selected as his successor after a national search, and she now manages a team of about 95. Here, Crews reveals how she stays the course she charted for herself — one of public service, nurturing leadership and an eye on a sustainable future.

What did you want to be growing up, and what was your first job? How have those goals and experiences influenced you now?

From a very early age, I wanted to be a writer. And then I started focusing more on a future where I could help people by joining the Peace Corps, or AmeriCorps VISTA. I even considered becoming a missionary at one point. I have always wanted to make a real difference in the world around me. That continues to be my primary motivator. My first job was as a cashier at a local grocery store in a very diverse neighborhood. I was 16, had led a pretty sheltered life and was very idealistic. That job taught me so much about responsibility and further developed my work ethic, but more than anything else, it gave me a more realistic view of the world and a great appreciation for how hard some people work just to feed their families. Unfortunately, I was also exposed to people who didn’t properly take care of their children or themselves, even when given the assistance to do so. I had a front row seat to some of the best and worst aspects of humanity — experiences that ultimately strengthened my own ideas about life in general.

What changes have occurred in your time at the airport?

Having now been at the airport for almost 18 years, it really seems as though everything has changed. First and foremost, 9/11. Everything in the airport environment was affected in one way or another by the tragic events of that day. I have seen the security environment of the airport go through all of the transitions and protocols brought forward by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, from the initial presence of the National Guard to the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to where we are today with private screening under oversight of the TSA. We’ve also seen the growth of passengers from 1.2 million to more than 3 million this past year; the continued expansion and improvement of the airfield through the lengthening, widening and rehabilitation of runways, taxiways and aprons and addition of various navigational aids; the construction of multiple buildings, including a vehicle inspection station, multiple hangars and commercial buildings in the Airport Commerce Park; procurement of a conceptual master stormwater permit; construction of an entrance feature on East Lake Mary Boulevard; creation of our own police department and dispatch center; and the physical growth of the airport property to more than 3,000 acres through land acquisition for noise mitigation and future development. At more than $60 million, the biggest project to date is the current terminal expansion.

What lessons have you learned from your predecessor, Larry Dale?

Larry Dale has been my mentor for more than 20 years, first at the City of Sanford and then at the airport, so his influence has been significant, to say the least. However, the greatest lessons learned were to lead by example, to never expect others to work harder than yourself, and to stand on principle, always.

How have you forged your own path, and what are some of the challenges you’ve faced in doing so?

I’ve worked really hard to flatten the organization and to develop and empower staff members to make decisions and take ownership of the airport through their respective roles. It’s been a challenge in itself to find the right balance of trust and oversight to empower staff while ensuring that goals and objectives are still being met.

How do you manage such a large staff?

The staff of the Sanford Airport Authority is about 100 personnel, and we contract with a private company for the management of our terminals and parking facilities, which involves another 300 or so employees. While I am not directly overseeing those private employees, I have oversight of the contract and am ultimately responsible for the entire airport operation. Again, I have worked to flatten the organization by giving more authority and decision-making ability to department directors and supervisors. Weekly staff meetings provide for in-depth discussions between all senior management, including that of our private partner, as well as opportunities to identify problems and resolutions, and a way to keep the entire organization connected. On another level, I try to keep employee morale buoyed by special events throughout the year and departmental meetings.

What were the motivations for the airport’s expansion? What are some of the expected effects?

The primary motivation for the expansion is to increase our capacity through maximizing use of the existing facility for as long as we can before we have to build another terminal. In that way, it is something of a stop-gap measure, but one that should provide us with another eight to 10 years, depending on our continued growth. We are very proud of our reputation of being easy to use, a simpler alternative for today’s traveler. Toward that end, we have adopted the slogan, “Simpler, Faster, Better” from the airport’s identifier SFB. Most of the changes embodied in the expansion have been designed to safeguard that identity and the excellent service we want to continue to provide our customers. In fact, we took more than two years to plan the expansion to make sure we captured every efficiency and improvement we could, including such things as centralized screening, improved access to the airport, a playground, more bathrooms, a consolidated delivery facility, a dedicated police station, and additional gates and baggage belts.

I envision the airport growing responsibly, becoming more diverse in its offerings to our passengers through the advent of additional carriers, both domestic and international, and expanding its capacity as needed in response to projected demand. Above all else, it is my hope that the essence of being simpler, faster, better is never sacrificed through lack of responsible planning and appropriate action.

How do you select the boards and community efforts you’re involved in? What has your involvement taught you about the community?

Most of the boards on which I have previously served have had some nexus with the airport, such as the Central Florida Zoo, Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, Seminole County Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Development Council. However, at present, I serve on the Central Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which allows me to support an organization for which I have a great deal of respect, separate and apart from the airport. With regards to community, the airport has planned and implemented two “Flights to the North Pole” in recent years and has now partnered with Seminole State College and Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) to identify and promote aviation careers. It is very important that the airport have a voice in the community, and I believe we have achieved that.

How has your community work informed your professional work?

The partnership with Seminole State and SCPS has been extremely rewarding personally and professionally, with the airport now having conducted its second annual Aerospace and Aviation Day. With more than 6,000 attendees this past January, this signature event is a proven success that we plan to build upon each year. In addition, the airport is initiating a scholarship program this year that will further amplify the importance of this initiative. As one of fewer than 40 female airport directors in the United States, seeing so many young people, many of them female, actively engaged in exploring the many career fields available in aviation is an exciting promise for the future.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

In any difficult situation, before making a decision, consider the worst thing that could possibly happen. Then ask yourself if you can live with it. If you can, then go for it. P