City hires from within for airport manager
Mark Baca has worked at facility for 25 years, recently as operations manager
An employee who has worked his way up the ladder during a quarter century at the Santa Fe Regional Airport will be its next manager.
Mark Baca is being promoted from operations manager to airport manager, the city administration announced Wednesday.
Airport manager was one of the final management positions to be filled after a flurry of senior hires during the past several weeks.
Baca, a graduate of Pojoaque Valley High School, began at the airport as a maintenance worker.
A news release listed his work across various airport functions, including terminal and runway maintenance, compliance with federal regulations, management of operator training, budget development and staff supervision.
Baca was also integral to the design of recent terminal upgrades, the statement said.
He replaces Nick Schiavo, the interim airport manager, who took over the role after the departure of Cam Humphres.
Humphres resigned last fall to manage the Los Alamos County Airport after 19 months in Santa Fe.
The city did not disclose what Baca’s salary as manager would be.
Humphres made $92,000 a year. Baca’s salary as airport operations manager is $62,668, according to city records.
City Manager Erik Liztenberg praised Baca as a “Santa Fe success story.”
“We’ve relied heavily on Mark in his role as operations manager to keep the airport running smoothly and successfully — and as we answer big questions about the airport’s future growth, I’m excited to work with him in the manager role,” Litzenberg said in a statement.
The Santa Fe Regional Airport is in transition.
Multimillion-dollar upgrades are planned as the city and regional backers seek to transform the airport into an engine for Northern New Mexico tourism and economic development.
Mayor Alan Webber mentioned the latter in a statement, saying the airport manager would have a “major impact” on the city’s future.
“What impresses me about Mark is his passion for improving the airport’s facilities and the customer experience for everyone — Santa Fean and visitor alike — traveling through it,” Webber said.
Baca used one of Webber’s favored phrases in describing his outlook.
“As manager I’ll be able to continue my focus on serving our customers well and providing the most user-friendly airport in the most user-friendly city in the country,” he said.