Kathleen currently serves as CEO of KBSB Aviation, a full-service aviation WBE/DBE Advisory firm. Kathleen’s expansive aviation career of over 17 years has garnered her a deep level of expertise in a wide array of areas in the industry. She has worked for charter, legacy, regional and low-cost carriers in finance, operational analytics, properties & facilities, strategic planning, procurement, and fleet & fuel positions at the executive level. In these roles she has obtained unique expertise following areas:
Strategic Planning & negotiation: Kathleen has collaborated on countless large and complex airport Use & Lease negotiations generating $50M+ in combined annual cost savings for her respective airlines during corresponding rates & charges methodology development/negotiations. She has secured crucial preferential space rights at space constraint airports such as ATL, DEN, IAH, LAS, LAX, MSP and ORD. Negotiations included working directly with the US Department of Justice and Department of Transportation.
Rates and Charges Development and Financial Planning & Analysis: Kathleen has a passion for delving into airport financials and playing a primary role in creating/sculpting rate making methodologies during Use & Lease negotiations, CIP development/adjustments and the annual budgeting process to ensure all airlines have fair and equitable cost structures. She also focuses on project funding and debt service management.
Operational & Technical Expertise: Kathleen has played a pivotal role in numerous large scale airport design/development projects. She has provided detailed feedback and recommendations regarding Airport Layout Plans, functionality, passenger flow and capacity planning. She specializes in developing terminal operating procedures and operational readiness.
Master Planning & Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Development: Participated in numerous CIP development and review processes including at DEN, LAX, MSP, ORD, PHX and many others which have played a primary role in shaping current and future Rates & Charges and future developmental projects. Kathleen has also played a critical role in identifying potential revenue diversion issues in CIP’s and other cost analysis efforts resulting in material dollars being removed from the airline rate base and protecting airports from negative FAA findings.
Airport Portfolio Management: Lead development, restructuring and management of $300M+ in combined annual expense for airport properties and ground handling portfolios resulting in high forecast and budgeting accuracy and SOX compliance.
Construction Oversight: Kathleen has led two airline corporate headquarter development and relocation projects. For each airline she led the initiative to locate, purchase &/or lease and renovate a new headquarters facility. Her oversight included facility purchase and/or lease negotiations, due diligence, a lean $7M top to bottom renovation budget, management of a stringent five-month construction timeline, contracting and management of all architects and contractors, design of critical IT infrastructure, redundancy and System Operations Control center, adherence to the company’s brand and staging/relocation of 400+ employees.
Things that Inspire Me:
Creativity! As an artist, very few people in my life understood why I chose aviation as a career path, furthermore why I chose to specialize in the analytical and strategic planning side of it. My answer to those who question me is I cannot imagine being in a more creative space. The aviation industry is extremely complex and constantly evolving, requiring constant evaluation and ingenuity to adapt to rapidly changing market and economic conditions. All of this requires an open mind, flexibility and venturing out of your comfort zone. Whether it is developing a financial model from scratch to help tell a story or dig into one and sculpt it to communicate the correct story, to developing a new Use & Lease Agreement to adapt to large incoming capital improvement programs and ensuring the impact is sustainable and flexible to accommodate all stakeholders, there is a need for creativity and ingenuity around every corner.
Favorite Distractions:
Horses, art, real estate, design and construction, complicated modeling and negotiations
Photos of Things I Like
