Robert Rodriguez Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago, Illinois, United States

I am responsible for Human Resources, Real Estate and Facilities at Chicago O'Hare and Midway airports.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

I lead $482M in grant funding for O’Hare and Midway airports, including department operations and grant development, implementation, and oversight. I’m also a key player in cross-functional efforts to expand both FAA and Non-FAA grant programs. Key areas of leadership include team operations and training, proposals, projects, grant compliance, grantor relations, appropriation ordinances, and presentations to the Council and in public hearingsKEY CONTRIBUTIONS:◉ THOUGHT LEADERSHIP – Earned designation by the Managing Deputy Commissioner as the aviation and airports subject matter expert (SME) and liaison to other City of Chicago departments.◉ AIRPORT & AVIATION FINANCE – Identified 7 potential non-traditional aviation grants, valued at $50M+, within 3 months by pursuing federal and state grant opportunities outside of traditional grants.◉ OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT – Tapped to bring leadership and structure to the Grants section, I boosted productivity and efficiency 50% within the first month. I streamlined operations, removed non-productive tasks, and implemented an SOP for tracking federal and state grant opportunities.◉ OPERATIONS TECHNOLOGY – Modernized grants tracking through automation, following an extensive analysis of the Grants directorate and identifying inefficient manual tasks. I explored available technologies, selected the one most appropriate, gained senior leadership buy-in, and led implementation.

Jblm Wa

I was chosen to transfer from Europe to JBLM to head all aspects of the planning and execution of a $625M program to rebuild fixed base aviation. I also led the Aviation Division and operations of 2 major airports, 1 heliport, several airstrips, and supporting organizations. A major part of stakeholder relations involved coordinating with federal and state agencies, foreign militaries, and senior military staff. Key accountabilities ranged from fixed base airport infrastructure and airport deployment to aviation training, aircraft support, and a workforce of ~122 people. KEY CONTRIBUTIONS:◉ AIRPORT MODERNIZATION & OPERATIONS – Established fixed base aviation at JBLM, hailed as the Army’s top airport for 15 years I drove the airport modernization, stood up operations, and formed and staffed its organization. My leadership earned me recognition as the Army’s SME in airport development and operations.◉ OPERATIONS INNOVATION – Identified and minimized risks in low-level flight training by thinking outside the box to resolve communications and surveillance issues. I explored and deployed simulcast and wide area multilateration (WAM) – the first-of-their-kind in airport use. I worked with the FAA to gain conditional approval, briefed senior leaders and Congress, secured funding, and drove implementation. As a result, I was sought out to support similar projects.◉ THOUGHT LEADERSHIP IN AIRPORT EXPANSION – Appointed by the state Governor to represent the Department of Defense on the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC), I collaborated on strategies to address concerns about Sea-Tac International Airport nearing its capacity limits. Options we compared included greenfield and existing infrastructure expansion.◉ PROGRAM OPERATIONS – On behalf of the Joint Base Garrison Commander, I managed the “Fly Friendly Program” focused on aviation noise abatement and liaised with state and local officials for military flight activities in area communities.

Illesheim, Germany

As the resident aviation/aeronautical SME, I directed airport operations, maintenance, 42 people, airport construction and layout, local airspace, and helicopter training exercises. I was a member of the Installation and Master Planning Board, co-chair of the Airport Noise Abatement Commission, and was an Army Airport Air Traffic and Airspace Officer.KEY CONTRIBUTIONS:◉ AIRPORT FINANCE & STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT – Lobbied the NATO Infrastructure Committee and gained funding for airport modernization projects, making Illesheim Army Airport the first to secure NATO funding since the early 1980s.◉ AIRPORT MODERNIZATION – Spearheaded the 8-figure airport build project, encompassing a new ATC tower, refurbished runway, refuel facility upgrade, and Category I IMC approach and runway lights – the first Army airport to meet new FAA airport lighting standards.◉ THOUGHT LEADERSHIP – Selected by U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR) to work with the NATO Infrastructure Committee, I composed a white paper, adopted by the Committee, detailing infrastructure requirements and standards to support modern attack helicopters and operations.◉ STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT – Increased the Army’s available night flying hours in Germany 100%+ to accommodate requirements for night flying training. Hand-picked by USAREUR to negotiate expanded summer night flying hours with the German Ministry of Defense.