Laura Keesee
Age: 38
Airline Facilities Manager
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
- Alma Mater: Texas State University; University of Texas at Arlington
- Something people may not know about me: I’m a registered interior designer and started college as a theater major
- Favorite book: None
- Favorite TV show: Fixer Upper
- Favorite movie: None
- Favorite hobby(s): Softball, Bunco
When Laura Keesee graduated from college in 2000 and got a job with an architecture firm in Dallas, she wanted to design hotels due to her background in theater set design. However, the company landed a project working on the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) terminal station renovation project for the implementation of the Skylink people mover system and she got to be part of it.
The project led to more of an idea about how the aviation industry worked. After 9/11 occurred, she was part of implementation of security systems at the airport and it brought a whole new light onto airports and pulled her deeper into the field.
“I learned the details of aviation in the aftermath of the tragedy and it really gave me a lot of respect for this industry and the people who work in this industry,” she said.
Keesee is the airline facilities manager for DFW. As a registered interior designer, she has used her experience in all aspects of the airport’s five terminals, from aircraft layout and baggage handling systems to airline office programming and airline club design.
Keesee manages the configuration of more than 6 million square feet of terminal facilities and leads improvement projects to enhance operations and customer experience.
She has successfully developed the processes and budgets for airline start-ups and relocations at DFW and has become a fixture in the preparations necessary for airline growth in the terminal area. In addition, she has been instrumental in establishing, implementing and maintaining standards for the interior finishes of the terminals to create an efficient and comfortable atmosphere for customers.
Her accomplishments since joining the airport include working on the terminal renewal and improvement program (TRIP - $2.7 Billion); Terminal D Common Use Airline Clubs; new airline startups such as Alaska, JetBlue, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Qantas, KLM, Virgin America, Spirit and JAL; rebalancing of the central terminal area, which required the relocation of more than 10 domestic carriers; the co-location of merged airlines; and the reconfiguration of Terminal E due to Delta’s relinquished facilities.
