By AFRO Staff
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld on April 4 named Shannetta R. Griffin as the new executive director and CEO of the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA). Griffin is a former associate administrator of airports for the federal government. In the new role, she will oversee the management, operations and maintenance of the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI Marshall), Martin State Airport and the state’s regional aviation assistance program.
“I have full confidence in Shannetta to lead MAA and help grow BWI Marshall Airport, one of Maryland’s most significant economic engines,” said Secretary Wiedefeld. “Her proven leadership and commitment to promoting safety, fostering economic growth and providing premiere customer service ensures BWI Marshall remains one of the top airports in the region.”
BWI Marshall Airport, which serves the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, generates a total annual economic impact of $11.3 billion. The airport and visitors produce and support more than 107,000 jobs throughout Maryland and the region. The airport offers nearly 300 daily nonstop departures to about 90 domestic and international destinations.
Martin State Airport, a federally designated reliever airport, helps to divert noncommercial air traffic from BWI. Located about 10 miles northeast of downtown Baltimore, the public airport primarily serves general aviation, including corporate, private, law enforcement and military aircraft, along with flight schools and other aviation-related services. Martin State creates and supports about 2,300 jobs throughout the region.
Griffin assumes the helm at MAA and the airports with four decades of experience under her belt as a professional engineer within the transportation industry, with an emphasis on aviation and aerospace.
“Her proven leadership and commitment to promoting safety, fostering economic growth and providing premiere customer service ensures BWI Marshall remains one of the top airports in the region.”
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld
Immediately before accepting her new role at MAA, Griffin served as associate administrator of airports for the Federal Aviation Administration, from 2021 to 2025. In that capacity, she led a team of more than 700 employees nationwide and administered national airport safety and standards, planning, engineering, federal compliance and financial assistance programs to provide complex solutions for more than 3,300 public-use airports across the country.
“I am thankful to Governor Moore and Secretary Wiedefeld for the confidence they have entrusted in me to serve the citizens of Maryland and continue the success of the busiest airport in the Washington/Baltimore region,“ Griffin said in a statement. “I will build upon relationships with our community and airline partners, and the very capable and dedicated staff to advance the airport as economic gateways to our region and the world.”
The transportation executive gleaned experience at the state level, serving in executive leadership roles for the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) and the Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA).
At IAA she was responsible for the management, engineering, planning, construction, environmental and supplier diversity program for multimillion capital and operating budgets for the Indianapolis International Airport and five reliever airports.
As the CRAA’s chief commercial officer, Griffin worked to maximize revenue in real estate and land development, air service and cargo development, concession management and parking/ground transportation, increasing concession revenue growth and achieving record breaking passenger growth. Subsequently as the chief development officer, she led the planning and execution of the Authority’s largest capital development program, a $2 billion project consisting of a new passenger terminal, consolidated rental car facility and hotel.
Griffin holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Toledo and has earned numerous accolades and awards for her leadership in the engineering and aviation industries. She is the proud mother of two children and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
When Griffin begins her new role on April 7, she will seek to build on the progress initiated by former MAA chief Ricky Smith, who stepped down from the position on April 2 after nearly a decade of leadership.
Smith counted many major developments during his tenure, including expansion of Southwest Airlines footprint in the airport, the addition of more gates and the negotiation of a 30-year agreement with the airline to build a new aircraft maintenance facility–the airline’s first on the East Coast. The addition of several gates accommodates more international carriers and enhancements to the airport’s amenities included updated restrooms. The model Launch Pad program enables minority-owned firms and micro businesses to get into the airport without having to make a huge capital investment or operate under burdensome leases.