(Los Angeles, CA) Today, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) unanimously elected Commissioner Beatrice Hsu to the position of President. Hsu replaces Sean Burton, who joined the Commission and was elected President in Sept. 2013, and who will continue to serve as a commissioner. Vice President Valeria Velasco, the longest serving commissioner in BOAC’s history with nearly 16 years of experience, will continue in her current role. During today’s meeting, Burton put forth a motion to nominate Commissioner Hsu. All Commissioners voted in favor of selecting Commissioner Hsu as President and Commissioner Velasco as Vice President.
“Thanks to the leadership and vision of Sean Burton, no airport in the country is doing more to reinvent and reimagine the traveler experience than LAX,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “LAWA has soared to new heights under Sean, and I know that Beatrice Hsu is the right leader at the right moment to carry forward the work of making LAX and VNY the world’s premier airports.”
“I am honored to be receiving the baton to continue on the ambitious path that Mayor Garcetti, President Burton and my fellow commissioners and I have laid out for Los Angeles World Airports over the past eight years,” said President Hsu. “The transformation underway isn’t just structural – it is one that points us toward an inclusive, sustainable future for our airports and the people of Los Angeles and I am proud to lead our Board in these efforts.”
“It has been an immense honor to serve as president of the Board of Airport Commissioners and I thank Mayor Garcetti for appointing me and my fellow Commissioners for trusting in my leadership,” said Burton. “I am so proud of the work that we have achieved over the last eight years, with the support of Mayor Garcetti and the LAWA team. President Hsu has been a strategic, thoughtful and passionate voice for our airports throughout her time on the Commission and I know she will be a terrific president.”
“I congratulate President Hsu on her selection and look forward to her leadership as we work together to continue to transform our airports and support our communities,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. “The legacy that Mayor Garcetti, President Burton and the entire Board have created over the course of the past eight years is unmatched, leading on construction, inclusivity, innovation, sustainability and serving as an economic engine for the region, even as we faced the biggest crisis ever seen in the aviation industry. We know our future is bright with President Hsu, Vice President Velasco and all of our Commissioners leading the way. I thank Commissioner Burton so very much for his exemplary leadership, dedication and support of LAWA and me over the last eight years.”
President Hsu was appointed to the Board of Airport Commissioners in October 2013 by Mayor Garcetti. She is the Senior Vice President for Development at Brookfield Properties, where she is responsible for Brookfield’s multifamily development activities on the west coast. President Hsu spent over 10 years with Related California on urban infill development projects, including affordable housing, mixed-income housing and commercial mixed-use development in Southern California. Prior to her career in development, President Hsu served as a senior advisor to then-Councilmember Eric Garcetti, where she served as staff chair on the City Council’s Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee. She also previously served as a policy analyst for the California State Controller.
A seven-member Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) governs Los Angeles World Airports. By the Charter of the City of Los Angeles, the Board is responsible for the formulation of airport policy. The Board is comprised of public-spirited business and civic leaders who are appointed by the Mayor, approved by the City Council and serve staggered five-year terms.
The current members of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners are Beatrice Hsu, Valeria C. Velasco, Sean Burton, Gabriel L. Eshaghian, Nicholas P. Roxborough, Cynthia A. Telles, and Karim Webb.
