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Senior Director, Equity and Opportunity, Indianapolis Airport Authority/Indianapolis International Airport
Achievements: Holli Harrington promotes equity and inclusion in airport operations to cultivate a culture where all employees and passengers, visitors and vendors are respected and feel welcome and included. Among her noteworthy accomplishments is providing equitable access to vendor opportunities. In 2022, the Airport Authority spent $38.5 million (which represents 28% of its overall spending with businesses) with disadvantaged-, minority-, women- and veteran-owned enterprises. Another accomplishment is developing and implementing the airport’s annual Title VI non-discrimination training for employees and tenants, which has been recognized as a best practice by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Career track: “My career path,” she said, “was a perfect storm. It was not planned, but I followed my passion and listened to mentors and sponsors who often saw more in me than I saw in myself.” After graduating from Howard University with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, she worked in plant engineering and maintenance and managed capital projects. She later held a number of roles in human resources, including compensation analyst, benefits specialist and recruiting manager. She then shifted from recruiting people to recruiting businesses as a procurement director. At the airport, she was director of supplier diversity before being promoted to her current position.
Giving back: Harrington is board president of the Minority Engineering Program of Indianapolis and is an adviser for the Indiana Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation. She also spearheaded the Indy Equity Collective and serves on the boards or committees or as a member of a handful of other organizations, including the Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and the Indianapolis/Marion County Building Authority.
Mentors and mentoring: “I think it is important to be self-aware in order to leverage your strengths and focus on opportunities to improve,” she said. “I am often inspired by those that I mentor, and they often teach me a thing or two, especially in the era of evolving technology. I am transparent and share my successes and failures.”
Work/life balance: She said her family has always been her balance and inspiration, whether it was her mother telling her she could do anything, her father teaching her to overcome her circumstances or her sisters encouraging her to see the good in every situation, enjoy life and have fun. “Now as a wife and mother,” she said, “my faith and my family continue to balance me and be my source of strength.” •
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