WHEREAS, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Jerome L. Davis has announced his plan to retire in September 2021 after a seven-year tenure guiding the revenue team with responsibilities for growth at Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, bringing regional and statewide benefit to the Commonwealth's economic development; and

WHEREAS, as the Airports Authority's highest-ranking executive under the president and chief executive officer, Jerome Davis has overseen the Office of Revenue, which includes marketing and consumer strategy, concessions, airline business development, real estate, commercial parking, communications, and government affairs; and

WHEREAS, Jerome Davis's retirement caps off a corporate career that has spanned more than four decades as a key executive in major corporations throughout multiple industries in the United States; and

WHEREAS, prior to joining the Airports Authority, Jerome Davis held key executive positions in corporations including Procter & Gamble, Maytag, Waste Management, Electronic Data Systems, and Frito-Lay, and he also recently retired from the boards of two public companies, Apogee Enterprises, Inc., and GameStop Corporation; and

WHEREAS, Jerome Davis's oversight at the Airports Authority has increased airline accessibility, benefiting Virginia's tourism and hospitality industries; and

WHEREAS, under Jerome Davis's leadership of the Airports Authority's Office of Revenue, overall passenger traffic at Dulles International and Reagan National airports increased by more than nine percent, thereby lowering cost per enplanement at both airports, which served to attract even more airline activity to the benefit of Virginia's aviation system and the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Jerome Davis's efforts led to airline growth at Dulles International Airport through the addition of 30 new international routes and 15 new airlines; and

WHEREAS, Jerome Davis's efforts to increase non-airline revenue boosted it to an unprecedented 57 percent of the Airports Authority's total revenue, a $90 million increase since 2015; and

WHEREAS, Jerome Davis also led a 2015 rebranding of the corporation, including the creation of a new Airports Authority logo to more closely tie the organization to the air travel industry and the National Capital Region; and

WHEREAS, Jerome Davis also led an expansion and upgrade of the two airports' concessions programs, recruiting many popular global and local brands to provide a greater "sense of place" for the Commonwealth and the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area; and

WHEREAS, Jerome Davis's accomplishments also include completely redeveloping more than 180 concessions locations, including shops and restaurants in Reagan National Airport's newly constructed concourse, launching new valet parking services, and executing agreements for new passenger lounges, including the American Express Centurion Lounge coming to Reagan National Airport in 2022; and

WHEREAS, members of the Airports Authority Board of Directors and its president and chief executive officer, John E. Potter, praised Jerome Davis's service and contributions during his "phenomenal run" as executive vice president and chief revenue officer at the Airports Authority's July 2021 board of directors meeting; and

WHEREAS, leadership of the Airports Authority has stated that Jerome Davis has truly made an extraordinary difference for the Airports Authority, its business partners, and airport customers and that they will miss his valuable collaboration, his broad business expertise, his wise counsel, and the sense of energy and focus he brought to the Airports Authority as an organization, as well as his great leadership qualities and dedication to the success and personal well-being of his staff and colleagues; and

WHEREAS, those who have been following the Airports Authority during the past seven years, including members of the General Assembly of Virginia and key state economic development leaders, are certainly familiar with the accomplishments of Jerome Davis and his revenue team during his tenure at the Airports Authority and the overwhelmingly positive impact he has had in so many areas; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Jerome L. Davis hereby be commended on the occasion of his well-deserved retirement; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Jerome L. Davis as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for his accomplishments during his tenure at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and throughout his career.