Leadership Category: WBP Directors

Pam has spent over 20 years in the airport industry, with particular focus on business development, landside services, IT solutions and concessions. She brings a diversity of experience on both sides of the business, having worked for airports and private sector airport operators and service providers.

Pam joined Paradies Lagardre in 2018 and is now responsible for business development at 20+ U.S. airports, including ACDBE and brand partner relationships.

She started her airport career at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport where she managed over 130 contracts, licenses, permits and operating agreements across the Business & Properties spectrum.
She then returned to her hometown of Portland, Oregon as a Property Manager for the Port of Portland, with oversight for a variety airline, general aviation, concessions and operating contracts
at Portland International Airport (PDX) and the Port’s three general aviation airports. She also served as the Concessions Program DBE liaison.

Pam went on to the private sector as an ACDBE certified consultant, specializing in airport WiFi and related public facing IT business solutions for IBM, Sprint, T-Mobile and Laptop Lane, in addition to several airports.

Prior to joining Paradies, Pam was Sr. Vice President for SP+ Airport Services, the industry leading provider of parking, transportation and other landside services in airports.

Pam is a founder, and currently serves as Secretary for Capital Sisters International, a non-profit micro-finance organization dedicated to advancing the economic empowerment of women in developing countries through entrepreneurship. She also served on the Advisory Board for the USO at PDX, helping to develop and launch the first ever USO at PDX.

Lysa (Scully) Leiponis, Principal and President, LL Aviation Advisors, LLC is a forward thinking aviation leader with 35 years of notable transportation industry experience. Prior to starting her own advisory firm, Lysa had a distinguished 33-year career as a visionary and persuasive leader at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.  As the former CEO/Airport General Manager of LaGuardia Airport, Lysa created a detailed vision for customer excellence to serve the airport’s 30 million annual passengers. She inspired and led 400 staff, and galvanized airport stakeholders, to implement pioneering projects to transform the customer experience. Her strength in meticulously leading multiple complex functions ensured the safe handling of 1,200 daily aircraft operations, while concurrently executing a record-setting capital investment program.  Under Lysa’s leadership, airport passenger volumes grew to record levels, investment reached historic highs, and regulatory compliance remained flawless. Lysa has been recognized for leading the airport through its transformative $9 billion redevelopment program and as a founding partner in the largest Public Private Partnership in airport infrastructure history.

Before her role at LaGuardia, Lysa spent more than ten years as a senior executive in aviation headquarters, leading exceptional teams to imagine and build programs for customer excellence, landside and parking, concessions, and strategy for the Port Authority’s five airport system.  She also served as Corporate Secretary for The Port Authority, an elected officer of the Agency. Her years preceding Aviation at The Port Authority were rooted in increasing levels of responsibility within the financial departments.

Lysa is a member of the Board of Trustees of Vaughn College of Aeronautics & Technology, is a member of the Critical Infrastructure Strategic Advisory Board of Parsons Corporation, and is an independent Senior Advisor to Ferrovial Airports U.S.

Lysa holds an MBA in Finance from Pace University – Lubin School of Business, a BS in Accounting from Rutgers University, and is an Airport Certified Employee in Operations and Security through the American Association of Airport Executives. Lysa resides in Glen Cove, NY with her husband Robert and their four sons.