Session Information

All session details are subject to change.

General Session 1 - FAC Legislative Team

Details coming soon!
 

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General Session 2 - Cyber Incident Response for Airports: Coordination Across IT, Operations, Legal, and Communications

Speakers: Ken Warriner, Sr Director, Finance & Administration | Naples Airport Authority, Kris Handsel, Founder and Cybersecurity Advisor | Airport Cybersecurity Group,  Anthony Gamboa, Sr Manager, Information Systems |  Naples Airport Authority

Cyber incidents at airports rarely remain technical events. They escalate rapidly into operational disruptions, executive decision points, legal considerations, and public communications challenges. Tabletop exercises are one of the most effective ways airports can prepare for these realities—when they are grounded in real airport operations.  This session draws on lessons learned from a recent cyber incident tabletop exercise conducted with Naples Airport Authority (NAA), along with broader airport experience, to illustrate how cyber incidents actually unfold across IT, operations, legal, communications, and executive leadership. The presentation highlights common coordination gaps, unclear decision authority, and communication breakdowns that tabletop exercises consistently reveal.  Attendees will get information on designing airport-specific cyber tabletop exercises, structure realistic scenarios and injects, and translate exercise outcomes into meaningful improvements in incident response plans, leadership readiness, and operational continuity, without adding unnecessary complexity.
 

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General Session 3 - Blue Lightning Campaign: collaborative efforts to tackling human trafficking in the USA

Speakers: Douglas O'Mara, SVP, Performance & Compliance | Global Elite Group, DHS Representative, DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking/Blue Campaign, Erin Collins, Executive Director | Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking

In 2023, Global Elite Group partnered with the US Dept. of Homeland Security and Dept. of Transportation’s Blue Lightning Initiative Campaign which focuses on Human Trafficking Awareness. This program helps deliver to aviation personnel and our security officers key behavioral indicators to increase awareness and identify possible Human Trafficking. 



 

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General Session 4 - Before Takeoff: The Inner Work of Sustainable Leadership

Speaker: Gary C. Cooper, Executive Chairman | Palmetto Infusion

One person can make a difference, but only after doing the inner work first. In this deeply personal leadership keynote, healthcare entrepreneur and author Gary C. Cooper shares hard-earned lessons from his own failures and setbacks to show that leadership under pressure is ultimately a test of character. Gary explores why true leadership begins with character, not titles or recognition, and how giving credit to others builds trust, loyalty, and lasting influence. Challenging the myth of solo leadership and hustle culture, he offers practical insights on humility, servant leadership, and building resilient teams that perform and endure when conditions change.

 

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General Session 5 - Between the Hype and the Risk: A Practical Guide to Ai Risk and Policy for Airports

Sri Kumar, PE, President & CEO | Connico, Douglas Wycoff, Director of Digital Technologies & Innovation | Tampa International Airport

The Ai revolution is here — and so is the risk that comes with it. While billions are being poured into developing and deploying new technologies, airports serving the traveling public face a unique challenge: how do we harness Ai's potential while protecting our organizations, our people, and the communities we serve?

This session takes a practical, clear-eyed approach to Ai adoption across three key areas:

• Legal Compliance & Emerging Risk. We'll examine recent legal and regulatory developments shaping Ai use, including some Florida-specific considerations, and what they mean for airport organizations today.
• Policy in a Moving Landscape. With legislation and technology evolving in real time, how do you build Ai policy that's durable enough to be useful but flexible enough to accommodate the unknown? We'll share best practices for developing frameworks that don't expire on arrival.
• The Human Element. Beyond the case studies and the tech, effective Ai deployment depends on people. We'll explore how to lean on your teams to manage risk, address ethical concerns, and build a culture of responsible adoption.

Attendees will leave with practical tools and strategies to navigate AI legislation, regulation, and deployment in ways they can put to work in their organizations.

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General Session 6 - How the Stakeholder Perspective Analysis Is Informing Ways to Improve the Resiliency of the National Airspace System – and Florida Airports Helped

Speaker: Patty Clark, CEO | Project Gestalt, Inc.

The Center for Air Transportation Resiliency at UC-Berkeley is leading a three year NASA-funded study on improving the National Airspace System’s performance during and following major disruptions.  The Stakeholder Perspective Analysis, which included interviews with several Florida airports, as well as airlines, and the FAA, about how they prepare for, respond to and recover from disruptor events – AND how we might improve the resiliency of the NAS.  Learn about the synthesized observations made to date, provide feedback, and contribute to our ongoing investigation.


 

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Breakout Session - Buyer Beware: Best Practices for Construction Procurement and Project Management in light of Recent Changes to Florida's Local Government Prompt Pay Act

Speakers: Brett Henson, Shareholder | Carlton Fields, Alexander J. Williams, Jr., B.C.S., Senior Assistant County Attorney | Broward County Attorney, Aviation Office, Daniel Zorilla, J.D., CGC, President | Oxley, Brannon & Zorilla Consultants

The Florida Legislature has enacted recent changes to Florida's Local Government Prompt Pay Act, to include the "prompt processing" of change orders (2025), along with punch list and project closeout requirements (2023).  Further, the 2026 Legislative Session could result in the elimination of both "no-damages-for-delay" provisions in public construction contracts, along with clauses precluding a contractor from recovering for "concurrent delays."  This presentation will survey recent and anticipated changes to Florida's Local Government Prompt Pay Act, and will include best practices for airports and construction vendors in complying with these changes.

 

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Breakout Session - Quality Lives at the Design–Construction Interface

Speakers: Rob Hambrecht, PE, Engineering Consultant | AVCON, INC., more TBD

Project quality on airport construction projects is rarely the result of a single decision or action. More often, quality outcomes are shaped at the intersection of design intent and construction execution. This presentation explores how the relationship between design and construction can either support or undermine overall project quality, with a focus on where breakdowns most commonly occur. Attendees will gain insight into how quality issues originate, helping airport sponsors better distinguish between deficiencies rooted in design versus those stemming from construction practices. The discussion will highlight common challenges encountered during construction on airport projects, including recurring issues related to standard construction and testing requirements. By clarifying responsibilities and identifying typical problem areas, this presentation aims to equip airport sponsors, designers, and construction professionals with practical strategies to improve coordination, accountability, and overall quality on future projects.
 

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Breakout Session - Training for a Terminal That Doesn’t Exist Yet: Preparing Staff for Future-State Operations

Speakers: Elliott Perez, Senior Consultant | Chrysalis Global Aviation, more TBD

Training staff for facilities still under construction presents unique challenges. This session explores phased training approaches that align with evolving layouts, systems, and procedures, helping airports prepare staff without excessive rework.



 

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General Session 8 - Elevating Florida’s Global Gateways: Airports, Trade, and Economic Growth

Speakers: Secretary Jared Perdue, Florida Department of Transportation, Secretary Alex Kelly, Florida Department of Commerce, Matt Swanson, President, SelectFlorida, Nick Primrose, Chair, Gateway Council

Florida’s airport system plays a key role in supporting international trade, tourism, and global business connections. This discussion will bring together leaders in transportation and economic development to explore how airports support Florida’s broader economic competitiveness. The panel will also formally introduce the Gateway Council, a new initiative focused on strengthening collaboration between airports, trade organizations, and state leadership to advance Florida’s international commerce strategy. Panelists will discuss the role of aviation infrastructure in attracting investment, expanding trade opportunities, and strengthening Florida’s position as a global economic hub.



Committee session information coming soon!