Michael Stephens likes to talk about the concept of “team,” and he’s about to lead a large one. The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority chose Stephens as Tampa International Airport’s new chief executive officer, effective April 2025.
At a special board meeting, at the airport’s SkyCenter ONE, the board voted 4-1 for Stephens, whose candidacy was supported by Board Chairman Brig. General Chip Diehl, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Vice Chairman Gary Harrod and Harry Cohen.
Board Treasurer Robert Watkins voted for John Tiliacos, the executive vice president of airport operations and guest experience, who presented after Stephens during the meeting.
“I am just incredibly grateful,” said Stephens as he returned to the boardroom following the vote. “I am humbled. To have the chance to follow in Joe’s footsteps and entrusting me with this responsibility means so much to me. I’m super excited thinking about where we can go.”
Stephens will replace Joe Lopano, who announced his resignation in February 2024 and will have served 13 years as CEO, upon his exit. Stephens currently serves two roles for the authority as general counsel, where he is responsible for providing legal opinions on matters of governance and management, and executive vice president for information technology services, human resources, government and community relations, risk management and business diversity.
The new CEO will lead approximately 670 employees that manage and operate TPA, as well as Peter O. Knight, Tampa Executive and Plant City airports. Among the projects he will inherit is Airside D, a new international terminal slated to open in 2028.
The other candidates were Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications Chris Minner and Damian Brooke, the executive vice president of finance, procurement and capital programs.
“I could not be more proud of Michael, who has truly been one of the most brilliant and well-rounded professionals I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” said Lopano in a prepared statement. Stephens shared how Lopano had hired him, nine years ago, after a 10-minute interview.
Stephens presented for approximately 45 minutes, around twice as long as Tiliacos. He used an AI-generated video to preview a vision of an interconnected region, where various hubs in Tampa, and beyond, are connected to prepare the region for expected increases in population, commuters and airport traffic. He noted that TPA traffic will increase by around 60% in the next 15 years, around 15 million added passengers. He also predicted that the metropolitan area, the nation’s 17th largest, could grow by 750,000 residents by 2040.
Regarding the need for coordinated regional responses, he said “as a former air traffic controller, I can tell you that whether it’s traffic on the runway or traffic on the roadway, it’s going to impact TPA’s ability to grow.”
The board members who voted for Stephens cited his focus on the future, while Tiliacos was commended for his mastery of airport operations and his almost-four-decade long career in aviation, including around a dozen at TPA.
But the board seemed to be saying with their vote that Stephens’ vision was what they most wanted to hear.
One notable difference in the two men’s philosophies was the matter of where people work.
Stephens said that, in 2024 and beyond, a regional organization like TPA must pivot to the needs of the workplace, noting that much of today’s young talent has never, or rarely, worked in an office.
Tiliacos, on the other hand, said it would have been his intent to return the organization to a full-time office schedule. “This is where the business, where the customers and where our tenants are,” he said adding that, though there was no firm timetable, he would have wanted all workers back on property full-time, in three to six months.
Stephens is a veteran who served active duty as a captain and trial counsel in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps where he also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. He also served active duty as an Air Traffic Controller in the U.S. Air Force. A member of the Florida Bar Association, he also serves on the Pace Center for Girls Board of Trustees and Airport Council’s International’s Legal Steering Committee.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at Morehouse College and a Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law at American University and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the School of International Service at American University. He also graduated from the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
The board – which has not yet determined a compensation package – noted that Stephens will get a raise but not to Lopano’s level, owing to his 13 years of service in the role.
Prior to the presentations, there were comments from three members of the public, two of whom urged the board to consider making the board more diverse, to better reflect the area’s demographics.
That wish was granted: Stephens, the fourth CEO in the authority’s history, is the first African American to be elevated to the role. During his presentation, he emphasized the need to retain and elevate the TPA team.
“While compensation and benefits are essential components to keeping great people, it’s really about how you treat them and you have my commitment that we will continue to focus on making sure that all our employees feel engaged, that they feel seen, that they are inspired and excited to come to work here every day.”