Samantha Haynes
Deputy Chief Communications and Marketing Officer
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Age 32
Samantha Haynes has demonstrated significant leadership during her tenure at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).
Since joining AUS in 2020 as a Public Information Specialist, Senior, Haynes has led efforts to shift the airport’s Public Information and Marketing division from a primarily reactive role to a more strategic and proactive team. Her work has supported the airport’s pandemic recovery, managed operational challenges, and contributed to air service growth and the implementation of a multibillion-dollar capital development program.
“AUS isn’t like any other organization I have worked for before, but in the best way possible. It is incredibly diverse with some of the smartest, most caring professionals I have ever met,” Haynes said. “I feel that for all the energy, effort and investment I personally put into this organization, I receive that investment right back. Airport work isn’t for the faint of heart and we have had very challenging days, even weeks, over the last several years but after each irregular operation, I feel that the organization rebounds from it stronger – either through procedural and process updates and improvements, or just simply through the hard work that we all accomplished together to keep our facility open to our airline partners and passengers.”
Haynes is the youngest member of the AUS executive team. She developed the airport’s first community engagement program, which strengthens relationships with local partners such as school districts and neighbors. Additionally, she led the reinstatement of AUS’s marketing program, which now includes strategic advertising campaigns and the multi-year “Journey With AUS” communications initiative, designed to support the airport’s expansion.
Haynes also established the airport’s first social media program, growing its Instagram following from under 3,000 to more than 11,000. She has acted as AUS’s lead spokesperson during a range of operational issues, including weather-related crises and major construction projects.
Haynes’s role encompasses both internal and external communications, and her work has played a critical role in enhancing AUS’s community engagement and marketing strategies.
