Interviewed on June 23, August 12, and September 2, 2022
The interview describes the career of John L. Martin, who began his career at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in 1981 and became the Airport Director in 1995, where he remained until his retirement in 2016. He describes his education in government, economics, and city planning at Lawrence University and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government; decision to work in aviation, and at SFO specifically, and hiring process; work and advancement in the roles of airport planner, budget director, assistant airport deputy director, deputy director for finance, and airport director; appointment as airport director; experiences in that role; relationships between the airport and the City of San Francisco, the airport and its tenants, and the airport staff and the Airport Commission; management approach, and the differences and similarities between himself and the former director, Louis A. Turpen; capital construction projects, including the International Terminal, Terminal 2, the rental car facility, and the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station; impacts of 9/11 and economic downturns on SFO; effects of airline deregulation; airport’s efforts toward environmental sustainability; experiences during the incident with Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in 2013; staff development, diversity initiatives; domestic partner benefits offered by San Francisco in 1997; achievements and challenges he experienced during his time as director; SFO’s leadership in the airport community on various issues.
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