PHL is a premiere airport. Wrestlemania is a good starting point as we prepare for the big activities coming in the months and years to come.  

As you have read in recent messages, two of the ways we are positioning the DOA to meet the challenges of the future is through reshaping our organizational structure and adding key staff members whose expertise will be invaluable as we work to provide the best services to our guests and the communities we serve.  

Over the past several months we have worked with aviation consultants, engaged in a thorough analysis of our organizational structure and operations and listened to feedback from our staff. The appointments of these individuals reflect our efforts to follow todays’ best practices for airport management. 

Kate Sullivan rejoined the DOA on January 8 as Chief Commercial Officer. In that role, she will be responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling all functions and activities within the commercial division, including air service development, cargo development, concessions, retail, food and beverage, parking, real estate development and all other commercial activities. She will replace Chief Revenue Officer Jim Tyrrell, who is retiring later this year after 37 years with the DOA.  

Dr. Jamaine Mungo came on board as our Chief Information Security Officer on January 22. We are all aware of the increase in cyber security threats and attacks. It is critical that we have a strong person in our CISO role, and I am confident that Jamaine’s strong background give us the experienced leader we need.  

On March 4, Cassie Schmid will join the DOA from the Metropolitan Airports Commission as Chief Strategy Officer, to lead the Guest Experience, Marketing and Communications units and address the need for enterprise-wide strategic planning and performance management.  

Of course, we will continue our initiatives to fill key roles across the airports, especially in our maintenance and facilities departments. Our HR team has done an exceptional job in speeding up the lengthy hiring process and we are beginning to see some of our new staff members now.  

I hope you will join me in welcoming all of our new team members to the DOA. We need everyone’s hard work to be successful. 

Thank you for all you do every day.  

-Atif.  

Stay up-to-date on Black History Month events at PHL/BHM2024.org.

HR Updates

COVID-19 Reminder

COVID-19 exposures and confirmed positive cases must be reported immediately to [email protected] for contact tracing. Employees will be provided direction on leave usage and return to work on a case-by-case basis. The minimum quarantine/isolation for a confirmed positive case is (5) days followed by (5) days mandatory masking while working. 

PDPH COVID-19 Call Center

Looking for information or resources related to COVID-19? Call the PDPH COVID-19 hotline, Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. to speak with a trained Information Specialist.

Call 215-685-5488 or Email [email protected].

Thank you for your vigilance and continued support in maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.

City Resource Group and Airport Empowerment Group (AEG) Meetings

About City Resource Groups

City Resource Groups (CRGs) are designed to ultimately make the City of Philadelphia a more inclusive place to work. All CRGs must align with the three focus areas outlined in the CRG Policy and Procedure Document. These focus areas include:

• Networking: Allowing City employees an opportunity to interact with one another
• Talent Development: Creating opportunities for City employees to provide talent development to members
• Enhance Diversity & Inclusion Strategies and Initiatives: CRGs must produce at least one annual initiative or strategy that focuses on building a more diverse and inclusive City of Philadelphia workforce.

For questions about the City of Philadelphia CRGs, contact Brenna Schmidt at [email protected].

AEGs – If you are interested in participating or leading an AEG at PHL/PNE, email your idea(s) to [email protected]. There must be five people and a leader for implementation. 

In January, our new Chief Commercial Officer, Kate Sullivan, chatted with the YoPros, giving them advice and sharing her diverse and interesting background. The Department of Aviation's Young Professionals Group meets the last Wednesday of every month and gathers for outings and events more often. If you have questions or would like to join, please reach out to Stacey Lennon or Alec Gever.

TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEE UPDATES DIRECTLY TO YOUR PHONE, EMAIL [email protected] WITH YOUR EMAIL AND/OR CELL PHONE NUMBER.

Training Calendar

*=Provided by the City of Philadelphia

DOA HR Training & Development Unit in Partnership with K- FERG Training Presents “Supervisory Goal Setting: "I’m Ready to take Charge- Professionalism & Goal Setting” (Part 2/2)  

This series is ideal for anyone who wants to become more efficient at their job.

In this training we will cover:

• The 4 Ps of goal getting
• Creating "SMARTer" Goals
• Redefining "Success"                                                         
• Professionalism Competencies                                            
• "Leading up"- What Does it Really Mean?                              
• Qualities of Good followers When Following isn't Easy

Accept the invite sent out to DOA supervisors and managers and you’re all set. 

PHL WELL would like to thank all who attended the "Becoming A Home Buyer" workshop hosted by Truist Bank last month. If you would like to provide feedback to the PHL WELL committee, please take a minute to complete the "Becoming A Home Buyer" Hosted by Truist Bank Feedback Form. We will use the information provided to enhance the quality of future financial wellness series workshops. 

All feedback will be submitted anonymously to encourage authentic and candid responses.

Did you miss the January 25th, 2024 “Turn the Key” 2024 workshop hosted by PHL WELL and presented by Shelvia Williams, Community Engagement Officer of PHDC?

We’ve got you covered--homeownership is still in your reach! There will be more workshops scheduled in the coming month so stay tuned and watch out for notifications from PHL WELL!

If you were able to attend, please take a few minutes to provide your feedback by completing the 01/25/2024 "Turn the Key" Workshop Feedback Form.

We will use the information provided to enhance the quality of future “Turn the Key” workshops. (All feedback can be submitted anonymously to encourage authentic and candid responses.) Thank you!

Please direct any questions regarding future “Turn the Key” workshops to Ashlee Franklin at [email protected]

Mental Health Series 

NEW! “Intimidation, Harassment, and Bullying” | Mental Health Series | Penn Medicine | Facilitated by: Penn Medicine’s, Ian Sherman, LCSW

February 8, 2023 from 12-1 PM

Zoom login and dial-in info will be provided within the calendar invite that will be sent out to all DOA staff. 

NO REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Email [email protected] for Zoom info and more details.

New Hires

Welcome to our January new hires:

Alphonso Wheeler - Custodial Worker 1

Amber Young - Airport Operations Trainee

Angelo Grant - Custodial Worker 1

Barry Young - Custodial Worker 1

Baseema Felder - Custodial Worker 1

Dr. Jamiane Mungo - Chief Information Security Officer

Damon Graves - Custodial Worker 1

Elijah O'Neal - Airport Operations Trainee

Erin Mackintosh - Custodial Worker 1

Ernest Miller - Executive Assistant

George Curtis - Custodial Worker 1

George Gruber - Custodial Worker 1

Jeneen Aklin - Custodial Worker 1

John Coates - Custodial Worker 1

Kate Sullivan - Chief Commercial Officer

Kevyona Howard - Custodial Worker 1

Kiesha Neal - Departmental Payroll Clerk

Markeya Osborne - Custodial Worker 1

Michael Alston - Custodial Worker 1

Michael Micali - Cement Finisher

Peterson Prime - Management Trainee

Rasheed Thomas - HVAC Mechanic 1

Roger Reid - Custodial Worker 1

Saletha Scruggs - Clerk 3

Shaquana Russell - Custodial Worker 1

Stacy Burnett - Custodial Worker 1

Suzanne Paul - Administrative Technician

Tiawhana Batts - Custodial Worker 1

Trent Hector - HVAC Mechanic 1

Tyler Wyse - Airport Operations Trainee

Xander Stubbs - HVAC Mechanic 1

Yasaan Betterson - Custodial Worker 1

Yassir Cromwell - Custodial Worker 1

Promotions

Congratulations to everyone promoted in the month of January:

Amy Liu - City Planning Supervisor

Ernst Jean-Jacques - Utility Financial Analyst

Michael Morris - Vice President of IT Client Engagement

Qyiana Churn, HR Technical Specialist

Shante Perkins - Administrative Technician

InfoSec

How to recognize and prevent impersonation attacks

Impersonation attacks involve cybercriminals posing as a person or organization (often a trusted individual or brand) to defraud a business of funds, steal credentials or data, or deliver malicious payloads, such as malware.

Impersonation attacks are often delivered via email as it is an effective way for cybercriminals to achieve their goals. The attacks are a form of social engineering, as they use the victim’s potential familiarity with the impersonated individual or brand to manipulate them into interacting. For example, victims may automatically trust that an email is genuine if it appears to come from a sender or brand they recognize, giving cybercriminals the opportunity to exploit that trust.

Knowing what to look out for can help you and the DOA from falling victim to impersonation attacks.

How to recognize an impersonation attack

Incorrect email address through email spoofing:

Cybercriminals will create a lookalike email address or "masking" a completely different address behind an impersonated display name:

• Root domain: An example is "phl" in [email protected]. In this instance, cybercriminals will create a root domain and change one character in [email protected], by substituting the “l” with an “i” which can be easily overlooked.
• Top-level domain: Cybercriminals would use an alternative top-level domain such as .edu or .com. For example, cybercriminals will use [email protected]
• Subdomain: This involves the cybercriminal adding a subdomain to a known company email address, for example [email protected]
• Display name: A display name on an email can be different to the actual user associated to an account, and on some email platforms and/or mobile devices, only the display name is shown. For example, the display name could be ‘John CEO’ but the actual email address behind is unrelated (such as a free-mail address or a compromised email address)

Unusual requests:

If you receive an email request that doesn’t align with normal company processes, seek verification through an alternative channel such as phone call, text messaging or face to face conversation to verify the request. A very common example of abnormal request is the sender asking you to purchase gift cards or for your MFA code. The DOA Helpdesk will never ask for your MFA code.

Unusual language, grammar, and spelling

The language each person uses in an email generally does not significantly change over time. This is another way to spot an impersonation attack, generic greetings such as “Hello” but no name and errors in spelling or grammar are common in these attacks.

Urgent tone

Cybercriminals want their victims to act without thinking. With added pressure and urgent language, employees are more likely to act on instinct without analyzing the context of the situation, especially if the orders seem to come from “senior executives” in the organization.

Emphasis on confidentiality

Cybercriminals will use words like "private", "confidential", and "secret" in their emails to prevent employees from discussing the email with colleagues. Knowing how important confidentiality is for organizations, this tactic is usually successful.

If at any time you are unsure of a potential phishing email or impersonating sender, immediately report it to the DOA Information security team at [email protected] or use the Phish Alert button in Outlook. Alternately, you can also contact the DOA Helpdesk at [email protected].

PHL Plane Pull

The Plane Pull is back! Join fellow DOA colleagues in this fun and unique opportunity to pull an airplane while raising vital funds for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. This high-adrenaline competition gives organizations from across the Philadelphia area the chance to see who can pull an airplane in the fastest time. Register to join Team PHL! Participants will receive a free t-shirt.  For details, contact Keesha Lane .

May 4, 2024

8 am – 12pm

Atlantic Aviation, 8375 Enterprise Ave, Phila. PA 19153

PHL Food and Shops

MarketPlacePHL is celebrating Black History Month by featuring Black-authored books at the airport’s bookstores. Employees and passengers are encouraged to scan the provided QR-code or visit their website to win one of the featured Black-authored books. 

First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed the Game author Nadirah Simmons will visit the B/C Connector stage on February 9 at noon for a book signing. Additional entertainment will precede the signing at 11 am.

TO SIGN UP FOR PHL FOOD AND SHOPS EMPLOYEE DISCOUNTS, TEXT PHLSHOPDINE TO 267-550-0996. 

Meet Three More of DOA’s Units: Communications, Workforce Development, & Internal Audit & Compliance

Communications Unit

View the Communications Unit's video and  presentation

The Communications Unit's team members have expertise in writing, public relations, videography, graphic design and more. 

Whether it’s a newsroom article regarding new policies or new destinations, employee recognition or graphics and photos that are used in advertisements and publications, there is always a need for content at PHL and it usually involves working with other departments to gather information. 

The department’s news stories about new destinations, airport improvements, employees and events are regularly picked up and covered by local and national news organizations. In 2023, the City of Philadelphia named PHL the City social media account with the most “scrollworthy” content. Employees are encouraged to share posts and extend the reach of our social media channels. The team created more than 3,000 social posts last year that had 4.6 million impressions.

Workforce Development Unit 

View the Workforce Development Unit's presentation.

The Workforce Development program is led by Director of Workforce Development Chevelle Harrison and is part of the Office of DEI and Workforce Development. Chevelle and Linda Ivey, Training and Development Manager, help support, retain, and attract talent by creating pipelines and pathways to help fill positions.  Some of these pathways include targeted partnerships, training and development, and the implementation of the BRIDGE program.  

The aims of the employee BRIDGE Program are to cultivate inclusivity through career growth opportunities, enhance employee involvement, and support the creation and development of collaborations to sustain talent pipelines. The internal pipeline consists of upskilling, helping employees improve on their current skills to advance their careers, and reskilling, helping current employees transition to a new career track through training and education efforts. Similarly, the external pipeline places emphasis on training and education by way of apprenticeships and internships.  

“We have a key role related to the vision and mission of the Department of Aviation,” said Harrison. “That’s by way of cultivating a workplace that fosters a sense of belonging through professional development, improving employee engagement and collaborative efforts, and assisting in the creation and sustainability of partnerships to provide future talent pipelines.” 

See more of the Department's successes and future aspirations in their presentation link.

Internal Audit & Compliance Unit

View the Internal Audit & Compliance Unit's presentation

The Internal Audit & Compliance Unit is part of the Finance team and is led by Vice President Konstantinos ‘Gus’ Tsakosand Contracts Audit Supervisor Janice Mirarchi. Also on the team is Contracts Audit Associate Joel Zran who recently joined. Their mission is to evaluate, review, and audit all facets of airport operations, to help maintain a comprehensive framework of internal controls, and to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. This is achieved by the team developing annual risk-based audit plans, providing objective evaluations of internal control practices and recommending improvements, assessing compliance, identifying areas for improvement in financial/operational management, and maintaining a healthy dose of professional skepticism.   

“We want to help everybody do the best that they can,” said Contracts Audit Supervisor Janice Mirarchi. “We believe that a robust and collaborative Audit Unit will lead to the realization of Aviation’s vision and mission by promoting honest, efficient, effective and fully accountable airport operations and governance.”  

You can read more about the Department's successes and future aspirations by viewing their presentation link.

Follow the Airport on Social Media, Download the Podcast

Want to learn more about news and events at PHL and PNE? Be sure to follow the airports on social media:

• X: @PHLAirport
• Instagram: @phl_airport
• Facebook: @PhiladelphiaInternationalAirport
• LinkedIn: @phlairport
• YouTube: @PHL_airport

For in-depth interviews about the aviation industry and our airports, download the “Taking Off with PHL” podcast at https://takingoff.podbean.com/.

The Latest from PHL's Online Newsroom

At the Airport 

Assistance is a Call Away with GLOBO System 

PHL proudly connects Philadelphia with the world. The GLOBO phone system is a tool PHL offers to enhance the travel experience of its guests who don’t speak English as their first language, providing an easy way to connect highly qualified, industry-specialized interpreters to travelers in seconds. 

PHL Wingmate Guest Pass Program Update 

On November 1, 2023, PHL launched the PHL Wingmate Guest Pass Program, allowing nonticketed guests to apply for a one-day pass to access PHL’s terminals, post-security, from 4 am-10 pm. From the introduction of the Wingmate program through the end of the year, approximately 1,577 passes were approved. 

Press Releases 

City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation Announces Key Appointments to Leadership Team 

After a third-party review of its organizational structure and a national search, the City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation, operator of Philadelphia International Airport and Northeast Philadelphia Airport , has announced several new appointments to its leadership team. 

Operations & Security 

How Does PHL Prep for a Snowstorm? 

The Department of Aviation’s winter preparation process begins at the end of September. The first task is making sure that the airports' FAA documents are up-to-date. Together with the training unit, Compliance Training Superintendent John Glass will go over the documents to ensure that the training guidelines and guidance sheet for the other departments are current and that any necessary changes have been made. 

People at PHL 

Kate Sullivan has rejoined the City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). 

Dr. Jamaine Mungo has joined the City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). 

Adelaide Adade- Parkway Corporation Ground Transportation Associate named "PHL Safe & Sound" awardee 

Parkway Corporation Ground Transportation Associate Adelaide Adade recently received the “Safe & Sound” award in PHL's Employee Recognition Program. This award recognizes employees who protect the integrity and safety of passengers through proactive communication, exemplary teamwork, courage, and effective action.     

Yasmine Cobb- British Airways Customer Service Agent named "PHL Impression Maker"

British Airways Customer Service Agent Yasmine Cobb recently received the “Impression Makers” award from PHL's Employee Recognition Program. This award recognizes customer-facing employees who provide direct customer service to passengers.