Haley Gentry, Aviation Director
Haley Gentry is the Chief Executive Officer of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which is owned and operated by the City of Charlotte.
Gentry's role and responsibilities include the day-to-day oversight of the Aviation Department, the Airport's Executive Leadership Team and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. She oversees a staff of over 700, a $187 million budget for fiscal year 2022, a 1.8 million-square-foot terminal that welcomes more than 100,000 daily passengers and an Airport that generated $24.6 billion yearly in economic impact pre-COVID-19.
She has worked at CLT since 1991, starting as an intern and working her way up to her CEO role, she has held positions in various areas such as Operations, Public Affairs, the Aviation Director's Office and Business & Innovation. Her work included leading airline lease negotiations, serving as the department's spokesperson, creating customer service initiatives, expanding air cargo opportunities that created the establishment of a Foreign Trade Zone on Airport property and managing the department's interest in large scale events.
Before being named CEO, Gentry served as acting director for nearly a year. Her appointment to her current position was made official in June 2021. She is the first woman to lead Charlotte Douglas.
During her time with CLT, Gentry has led the Airport's work in several areas, including CLT's COVID-19 response. She established the Experience Recovery Team to address all COVID-related initiatives designed to instill passenger confidence in air travel and to safeguard Airport employees while providing necessary services. She also oversees the distribution of federal stimulus funding, working closely with airlines and concession partners to ensure the Airport and its tenants are moving toward recovery. Additional initiatives include Destination CLT's Terminal Lobby Expansion project, development of non-aeronautical revenue, implementation and launch of CLT's new public parking program and an environmental assessment required by the Federal Aviation Administration for future airfield development.
Gentry has a Bachelor of Science from Appalachian State University and is a member of the North Carolina Airports Association, American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Women in Aviation International and, serves as a board member of Renaissance West Community Initiative. She also serves as CLT's representative on Airports Council International.