In a struggling economy where layoffs are common and morale is low, it is a challenge in itself to find employment opportunities, never mind provide these opportunities to countless other individuals. But despite a challenging economic situation, the Council for Airport Opportunity (CAO) has managed to bring job opportunities to hundreds of residents in the communities surrounding the Port Authority’s metropolitan airports.
Under the leadership of Philippa Lee Karteron and her team, the CAO has recently undergone an enhancement and restructuring of programs as well as a renovation of facilities in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Karteron, executive director of the Council for Airport Opportunity, New York program, believes that she has a responsibility to give back to the community by contributing to the development of a strong and skilled workforce. The CAO provides the perfect vehicle to fulfill this responsibility.
Since it was founded in 1972, the CAO has placed nearly 60,000 people in airport and airport-related jobs around the metropolitan area. It is a not-for-profit organization, funded by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and its airline partners.
Through job fairs that forge connections between employers and prospective employees, the CAO’s mission is to promote the growth and development of job opportunities within the aviation industry in the communities surrounding New York’s regional airports. In turn, the CAO aims to provide airport employers with a highly qualified workforce. As a result of the CAO’s efforts, job applicants have been hired by airline companies, including JetBlue, US Airways, Air Canada and Delta. In addition, applicants have found employment in customer service, security, and food service positions.
Karteron, who describes her organization as “headhunters for the airport industry in the metro area,” says that the function of the CAO is to find qualified applicants for the airport community with an eye to diversity and inclusion. According to Karteron, “Residents of the metropolitan area, from all walks of life, have the opportunity to participate in the reshaping of the aviation industry, and become aware of the wonderful career paths available in their own backyards.”
To ensure the referral of qualified candidates, the CAO offers programs and services to benefit both job candidates and employers in the airline industry. For example, during the recruitment process, the CAO does comprehensive screenings of applicants and matches their qualifications to the job openings within the industry. The CAO provides ten-year background checks with referrals, as mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Job candidates have the opportunity to undergo customized Training Programs. The CAO has on-site career centers at the John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International Airport locations, which are used for specialized training requirements, small group seminars and interviewing sessions.
Karteron herself comes from a strong background in administration. Her career began in her Queens community, where she served as executive director of the Queens Area YWCA. She has since spent over 30 years in different administrative positions within the city, including Assistant Commissioner for the Department of Employment. She also worked with the New York City Department of Small Business Services, where she held the position of Project Administrator for Special Projects and was responsible for the development and implementation of strategic and community partnerships. She was the Project Administrator for the Airtrain Recruitment Project where she was responsible for the project’s implementation. The goal of the project was to find employees specifically from the surrounding area, which she says was a success because ninety-percent of those hired were from Queens. Karteron received a citation from the Port Authority for the Airtrain project. She also spent time as the Executive Director of Queens Workforce1 Career Center, better known as the Queens One-Stop Center, where she helped countless individuals find and prepare for jobs.
Though her appointment to executive director of CAO’s New York Division began in April 2009, Karteron continues to sit on several boards and advisory councils, such as the York College President’s Council, the CUNY Aviation Institute Advisory Board, the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, and the Queens Economic Development Corporation, and most recently the Greater Allenn Development Corporation Board. In 2006, Karteron was named one of the Top Women in Business by The Queens Courier and Queens Business Today. She also received the Business Leadership Award from the National Association of Professional Women in Construction (PWC) and the Founders’ Award from the Association of Minority Enterprise of New York (AMENY).
For Karteron, part of the “doing” involves passing on her values to her children. Her daughter Malikka has a masters degree in Environmental Policy and Justice, and her son Blake is enrolled in Queensborough Community College for business. Along with husband Jacques, who is also involved in the community as the Executive Director of the Rockaway Boulevard Development Corp., she believes that family involvement is the key to passing on community consciousness.
Karteron believes that improvements to the workforces of local businesses will eventually have a positive effect on the national economy. “You can’t have a business without people,” Karteron says. “They are a resource necessary to strengthen the economy.”
