Security, legislation, finances, labor, safety, politics — just how complicated is it to keep an airport up and running these days? Cindy Nichol ’80, who directs four of them, has the answers. Join her for a conversation on the intricacies and the rewards of a lifetime in aviation management.
This event took place on January 20, 2026.
About the Speaker
Cindy Nichol ’80 is the Director of Airports for Sacramento County, which operates four airports, including Sacramento International Airport. She has over thirty-five years of experience in airport management in the private and public sectors. She was on staff at the Massachusetts Port Authority (Boston Logan International Airport) and San Francisco International Airport, and she served as Chief Financial Officer of the Port of Portland before coming to Sacramento. Cindy has also served as a consultant to numerous foreign and domestic airports, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Transportation Security Administration. She is Chair of Airports Council International–North America — an association of over 400 US and Canadian airports — through 2027.
Cindy, who majored in history at Carleton, fell in love with aviation while growing up in rural western Ethiopia, where her father was a doctor. During the six-month rainy season, when roads were impassable, the only way to get home from the capital was by flying. She loved the feeling of weightlessness and the views of the fields and villages from up high and was hooked!