American Airlines today named two officers to its senior leadership team.
Juan Carlos Liscano has been promoted to Vice President of Miami Hub Operations. He succeeds Ralph Lopez, who was previously named Vice President of American’s Integrated Operations Center.
Jim Moses has been promoted to Vice President of Philadelphia Hub Operations. He follows Olympia Colasante, who will retire in September.
Miami
In his new role, Liscano will oversee airport operations in Miami, American’s gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean and the airline’s largest cargo hub. He will report to Joe Taney, American’s Senior Vice President of Hubs & Gateways.
“Miami is an incredibly important market for us and a melting pot of cultures that deserves an experienced and dynamic leader,” said Kerry Philipovitch, American’s Senior Vice President of Customer Experience. “Ralph has done a tremendous job with the team in Miami and made fantastic improvements in our operating performance. That expertise makes him well-suited to run our Integrated Operations Center, and we’re excited for that opportunity.
“With Ralph’s move, we needed a leader with strong relationships in both Miami and Latin America. Juan Carlos is the perfect choice. His strong track record of developing broad and deep cross-functional partnerships and delivering results in complex operating environments makes him an obvious choice to lead our vibrant hub.”
Liscano began his career as an Operations Agent at American Eagle in Miami. He has held several airport leadership positions in cities throughout American’s network including the Bahamas, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and Atlanta. In 2012, he led Miami’s Customer Care team before leading American’s hub in Los Angeles. Since 2016, he has served as Managing Director of Latin America, supporting American’s 3,300 team members at 50 airports in 17 countries in the region.
Liscano hails from Colombia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Indiana University and a Master of Business Administration from Florida International University.
Philadelphia
Moses will lead airport operations in Philadelphia, with daily oversight of American’s more than 8,000 team members who serve nearly 60,000 customers with 400 daily departures. He will also report to Taney.
“Jim’s operational expertise is an excellent match for our busy Philadelphia hub,” said Philipovitch. “For the past several years, he has led our Los Angeles operation during a period of unprecedented growth. Our operating metrics have improved significantly under Jim’s leadership, and he and his team delivered those results while embodying our philosophy of creating a culture that puts team members first. He is the right choice to lead our important Northeast hub and to continue fostering the strong partnerships American has in the Philadelphia community.
“Olympia has been a stable and reassuring force at our airline for almost 30 years. From Canada to New York to London and a host of other cities, she has brought her trademark care for her colleagues and commitment to excellence everywhere she’s led. Olympia is known as a trusted mentor and has spent her career developing future leaders. We are lucky to have had her leadership and will miss her greatly.”
Moses began his career with American as a Flight Attendant in 1982. He has held a variety of leadership positions in airport operations in Miami, New York and Boston, including as Managing Director of Customer Care in Miami and spearheading Premium Customer Services before assuming his current position leading American’s hub in Los Angeles.
With this position, Moses returns to his home state of Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from John Carroll University.
Los Angeles
With Moses’s departure, Theresa “Terrie” Vevea will assume the role of Managing Director of Los Angeles Hub Operations, reporting to Suzanne Boda, Senior Vice President of Los Angeles, and Taney.
Vevea joined American in 1990 as an Instructor of Flight Attendant Training in New York’s JFK airport. She has held leadership positions in Flight Service and Cargo, including the Hub Director role for American Eagle in Los Angeles in the late 1990s. In addition, she has had leadership positions for Airport Customer Experience in Dallas/Fort Worth and Portland, Oregon. She left American in 2004 to pursue her Master of Business Administration and spent three years as Director of Finance and then Director of Operations for Parsons Corporation in New Jersey. She returned to the airline as Director of Domestic Customer Service at Philadelphia International Airport in 2011 and most recently served as Managing Director of Domestic Field Stations Airport Customer Experience, supporting American’s complicated Northeast stations.
Vevea holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics and Master of Business Administration from Mills College in Oakland, California.
