The City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation, operator of Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE) has announced Jacqueline Lewis as its new Deputy Director of External Affairs, a newly-created role that reports to the Chief Administrative Officer Delicsha Wilds and is a member of the airports’ senior management.
“We are excited to welcome Jackie to the PHL and PNE team,” said Department of Aviation Chief Executive Officer Atif Saeed. “Her leadership, knowledge and experience will be a great asset to the Department of Aviation as we continue to strengthen our relationships with elected officials, community leaders and stakeholders and promote the work that is taking place at our airports to enhance guests’ experience.”
In her role for the Department of Aviation, Lewis manages the government affairs, community engagement and communications teams. She is responsible for driving strategic engagement and outreach efforts to local, state, and federal government officials, community leaders, and key stakeholders. This includes overseeing the external affairs strategy development and implementation; helping to advance policy goals; increasing awareness of the airports; improve the guests’ experience and providing innovative ideas to build for the future.
“With so many high-visibility events on the horizon, from the FIFA World Cup to America’s 250th, and nearly two billion dollars in capital development in the pipeline, I am tremendously excited to join this stellar team,” said Lewis. “Under the leadership of our new CEO Atif Saeed, we are committed to create exceptional customer experience and community engagement one human interaction at a time. One conversation at a time I am building deep, meaningful connections with our stakeholders for the benefit of PHL and our beautiful shared city.”
An attorney and strategist, Lewis earned her JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law and has served as a member of the US Army Reserves. She has 25 years of experience in legal analysis, problem-solving, relationship-building and administration. Prior to joining the City of Philadelphia, Lewis led the LEADERSHIP Philadelphia Keepers program. Previously she served as surety counsel at Zurich and Reliance Insurance companies, troubleshooting complex construction and performance bond disputes with a team of lawyers, engineers and accountants.
