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Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski announced Tuesday afternoon the reappointment of Maureen Riley as executive director of the Department of Airports, which is in the midst of a $1.8 billion makeover of its international airport.
Later Tuesday, the City Council approved Julio Garcia as director of the Department of Human Resources. He replaces Debra Alexander.
Riley was appointed by former Mayor Rocky Anderson in 2007. Her status has been in the spotlight after other department directors resigned or were let go in the wake of Biskupski's election in November. Key positions that remain empty are the director of t he Department of Public Services, the director of the Department of Public Utilities and the director of the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency (RDA)
"We are at a critical time for Salt Lake City International Airport, and Maureen has proven herself adept at handling the intricacies of managing one of the nation's largest airports," Biskupski said in a news release. "Salt Lake City is lucky to have a recognized leader at the helm of our Department of Airports, which generates over $1 billion in economic activity for the state and has the potential to be an even bigger asset in the future."
The terminal redevelopment program at the international airport took off in 2014 and is expected to last eight to 10 years.
The Department of Airports also oversees South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan and Tooele Valley Airport in Erda.
Before coming to Salt Lake City, Riley spent 13 years at Orlando International Airport in a variety of roles, including deputy executive director of finance and administration.
The mayor's statement noted that Riley currently heads the board of directors of Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) and is a member of its world governing board.
In December 2015, Riley was named "Director of the Year" by Airport Revenue News, which cited her ability to "spearhead the agreements necessary to move forward with this project [SLC International Airport terminal redevelopment], coupled with her involvement in national and international trade groups."
Unlike the mayor's appointment of Mike Reberg as director of public utilities, later withdrawn, her nomination of Garcia was not controversial. He has been the associate director of Salt Lake County's Department of Human Resources since 2010. That department oversees 7,000 permanent and temporary employees, according to a statement from Biskupski.
"Julio is a forward-thinking manager. His experience in human resources has focused on employee learning ... performance management and employee engagement," Biskupski said in a prepared statement. "Our city employees must feel safe and supported by their managers, and those managers must have the skills to promote an environment of growth and opportunity. Julio is the perfect person to help guide our city's workforce agency in that direction."
In addition to his county post, Garcia, from 2012-2015, sat on the Salt Lake City Civil Service Commission, which oversees compliance with the civil-service statute as it relates to Salt Lake City police and fire department employees. Previously, Garcia served as director of elections for Salt Lake County.
The council approved him by a unanimous vote.