Essex, Hudson and Union Counties. NJ
ASDO’s program is considered a success
today, having generated over $1B in contract
awards, as a result of their direct
efforts as the “airport matchmakers”.
ASDO, funded by The Port Authority of
NY&NJ and administered by the Aviation
Development Council, operates at all
Port Authority managed airports.
Helene’s career path has given her the
opportunity to work with major commercial
airlines at Kennedy and LaGuardia
Airports in areas of management training,
product development and distribution,
air cargo, airline operations, customer
service and charter marketing. At
AIFS (the American Institute for Foreign
Study), Helene planned and negotiated
travel inventory from airlines for students
involved in study abroad programs.
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
OCCUPATION: Senior External Relations Client
Manager
EMPLOYER: Port Authority of New York and New
Jersey
HOMETOWN: Philadelphia, PA
MENTOR: Brian Simon
HOBBIES: fitness and traveling
FAVORITE BOOK: The Four Agreements
FAVORITE MOVIE: Do the Right Thing
FAVORITE PLACE: London, England ; Barcelona,
Spain
FAVORITE QUOTE: “I’ve learned that people will
forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- Maya Angelou
AIRPORT VOICE, APRIL 2020 17
Helene Gibbs
Program Manager for Air Services Development Office
Helene Gibbs is the Program Manager
for the Air Services Development
Office at Newark Liberty International,
NY Stewart International and Teterboro
Airports. ASDO, the acronym for Air Services
Development Office, matches the
talent and resources of area businesses
with the purchasing opportunities of aviation
industry buyers through a system
of referrals.
ASDO’s program, in New Jersey,
was initially located at Rutgers Graduate
School of Business Management, the
Newark campus. When the program was
brought to Newark Liberty, Helene came
on board. Her task was to further develop
the program and give it greater exposure
while increasing the program’s vendor
base. The goal was to bring greater sales
opportunities to businesses in Bergen,
Stacey Gilbert
Sr. External Relations Client Manager for Port Authority New York and New Jersey
Stacey Gilbert serves as the senior external relations
client manager for the Port Authority of New York
and New Jersey. For the last six years in this position,
Gilbert has had access to various departments but for
the last four years, her emphasis has been on the longterm
operational and quality of life concerns for the surrounding
communities of LaGuardia Airport and John
F. Kennedy International Airport to take those communities’
concerns into account when there are projects at
these airports that may have an impact on them.
Her biggest inspiration is her mother who she describes
as strong-willed and self-determined and who
climbed the corporate ladder at a time when being both
a woman and a minority in a senior-level management
position was rare. Gilbert is most proud of being in a position
to help others with their career development, especially
new college graduates. She credits the former
director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
as being her mentor.
She holds a degree in Communications and Mass
Media which she says relates to her current job that
largely revolves around having the ability to effectively
communicate internally and with external stakeholders.
She said that although women have made significant
strides over time that there is still an inherent bias towards
women in business which she has to navigate.
She said she has to balance having a strong personality
with not being “too aggressive” and being a team player
without blending into the background.
She credits her success to listening to others through
her job which is about building relationships and balancing
the needs and wants of stakeholders in regard to
her department. She also credits success to understanding
people and ensuring they feel heard and acknowledged
while finding feasible solutions.
Gilbert said that those looking to get into the industry
should identify mentors in the field and build relationships
with them along with seeking out learning
opportunities such as conferences and understanding
trends.