Rufus James Selected As 2021 Airport Professional of the Year
March 31, 2021
Fort Lauderdale, FL – The Southeast Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives (SEC-AAAE) named Rufus A. James, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) Manager, as the 2021 Airport Professional of the Year. The announcement was made during the closing ceremony of the SEC-AAAE’s Annual Southeast Chapter Conference held in Savannah, GA on March 28-30, 2021. The SEC-AAAE selects the Airport Professional of the Year based on professional accomplishments and contributions to the aviation industry.
As Airport Manager, James is responsible for the operations and management of the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, which has an economic impact of nearly $2.1 billion and is the fourth busiest general aviation airport in the country for itinerant traffic, the 200-acre Industrial Airpark, John Fuhrer Downtown Helistop, and Foreign Trade Zone #241.
James earned a Master of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University and a bachelor’s in Aviation Management from the University of New Haven. He is member of the Florida Airport Council Board of Directors, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance Board of Directors, and is the Chair of the Alliance’s Aviation Sub-Committee.