In addition to aircraft and air travelers, two of the top-five busiest airports in the United States have something in common: Kim Day. She has managed both Denver International and Los Angeles International airports.

In April 2008, Day brought her impressive aviation experience to DEN, and as the airport reached its Phase I threshold of 50 million passengers annually that year, she began overseeing an update to DEN's original master plan and conceptual plans for a multi-million-dollar expansion called the South Terminal Redevelopment Program.

Day has more than 30 years of experience, including her service as executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, a system comprising Ontario International Airport, Van Nuys Airport, Palmdale Regional Airport, and the world's fifth-busiest airport, Los Angeles International. Before assuming the top position with LAWA, she oversaw design and construction for the authority

She also spent 20 years as an architect and planner, specializing in airports. After receiving her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University, her career began with DMJM (Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall), a major international architectural and engineering firm. As vice president with the firm, she oversaw many aviation and transportation projects, from pre-Olympics improvements at Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia, to two new terminals at Ontario International Airport, to a privatization proposal for Perth International. At the well-known architectural, design, and planning firm Gensler, she participated in renovations at Corpus Christi International Airport, and at Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City.

As executive director at Los Angeles World Airports, Day, managed 3,000 employees and oversaw a $600 million operating budget. She obtained federal, state, and city entitlement, as well as airline support for the $11 billion LAX master plan"öa plan that addresses growth of LAX from 64 million annual passengers to nearly 80 million passengers.

Prior to being the executive director at LAWA, she served as deputy executive director of project and facilities development, and she was responsible for all capital projects. Her projects included the design for the renovation of Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX and the in-lobby baggage screening system, which went operational on Dec. 31, 2002, making Los Angeles the first Category X airport to achieve 100-percent baggage screening.

Following her time at Los Angeles World Airports, Day worked with Jacobs Consultancy (formerly Leigh Fisher), an aviation planning company, and then started her own consultancy.

Day is now leading the world's 10^th-busiest airport and managing Denver's Department of Aviation. She is committed to the future of Denver International Airport and wants to ensure DEN is sustainable in the coming decades. At DEN, Day has spearheaded the airport's strategic plan, aligning the airport budget with the plan's five strategic priorities.

She has guided DEN's master plan update, which is the short- and long-term roadmap for the airport during the next 25 years. She has supported alternative sources of energy. Since she was appointed, two solar power stations have opened at DEN and a third is underway.

The South Terminal Redevelopment Program will be the largest capital improvement to DEN since it opened. Day has guided the program through its conceptual and design phases and in the selection of a program manager to coordinate the projects. By 2016, DEN is scheduled to have a three-star hotel next to Jeppesen Terminal, above a commuter rail station and plaza. Because of her leadership in undertaking this challenging program, Denver Business Journal named her the top industry leader in Denver's travel and tourism industry for 2010 and included her in its annual "Power Book," a compendium of Metro Denver's top business newsmakers.

Day strives to make the DEN passenger experience even better than it has been. This emphasis is reflected in the accolades the airport receives - especially from readers of Business Traveler magazine, who have voted DEN Best Airport in North America for six straight years (2005 - 2010).

Kim Day tirelessly works to see that DEN remains the world's premier aviation facility.