Maribel Hernandez has been the chief administrative officer for the Jacksonville Airport Authority since October 2002.
WHAT ARE HER RESPONSIBILITIES?
“As chief administrative officer, I oversee all of the administrative functions, except finance. That includes information technology, human resources, customer service, public relations, media relations, procurement, process improvement, training and development and the disadvantaged business enterprise program (DBE).”
WHAT IS A DBE?
“Because we receive federal funds on our capital projects, they mandate we have a DBE program. For those projects, we have to have a goal of minority or women-owned business participation. If we don’t administer that program effectively, we could lose our funding.”
GROUND FLOOR
Fifteen years ago, Hernandez began with the organization as a secretary in the marketing department of the Jacksonville Port Authority before it split from the airport. She also served as the corporate secretary for the board of directors, marketing director and director of customer service, her previous position.
HOMETOWN
New York City.
WHAT BROUGHT
HER HERE?
“My husband and I lived up North in the big city. He wanted a better life for us [her and their son] so he joined the Navy and they stationed us at Mayport.”
GROWING UP FAST
“I’ve worked since I was 14. My husband and I were teenage parents so there were a lot of obstacles to overcome. When I was 15 and pregnant, everybody said I was going to be a statistic and never go to college. I grew up in the ‘hood. I don’t submit to the mentality that because you were brought up in the ghetto and lived a hard life, that’s all you have. I believe you can be anything you want to be. My mom raised three kids and worked two jobs. One thing she taught me was to be independent. You don’t have to accept being part of the cycle that society says you’ll become.”
COLLEGE
Hernandez received her associate degree from Florida Community College at Jacksonville and a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of North Florida. Recently, she was accepted to Concordia University where she intends to pursue a master’s degree in international aviation.
BRIDGING TWO CULTURES
Hernandez is fluent in English and Spanish. Her bilingual skills came in handy when she worked for fashion designer Liz Claiborne. “I took on the role of union-to-management liaison. At their headquarters, they have a lot of union workers. Probably about 95 percent of them don’t speak English. As far as management, about 95 percent of them don’t speak Spanish. I got experience in labor relations working there.”
FAMILY
Hernandez and her husband, Mike have been together since they were 14 years old. They have a son, also named Mike, who will going to college soon, and an eight-year-old daughter, Melanie. They reside in East Arlington.
WHAT IS MOST REWARDING ABOUT
HER JOB?
“To have the opportunity to contribute to something that can be magnificent, building the finest airport in the world. There’s approximately 230 employees with the Jacksonville Airport Authority. Having the ability to positively impact other people’s lives, I find very rewarding. I feel other people deserve an opportunity. As a Hispanic woman, it is my obligation to make sure that there is a diverse pool of qualified candidates to choose from. We need to make sure we’re valuing all differences.”
WHAT IS HER BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
“The most challenging thing about my position is dealing with the human element. You can’t change people and you cannot change attitudes. Having accepted that, the trick is building a new organization and shifting the corporate culture to be customer-focused. As long as we’re working toward the same goal, it’s OK if we’re different.”
BELONGING
Hernandez is a member of the American Association of Airport Executives, Toastmasters, the Airport Council International and a board member of the Jacksonville Urban League.
HOBBIES
While juggling her career, husband, children and academics, she squeezes in some time for writing poetry and painting.
— by Monica Tsai