Metropolitan Airports Commission
Brian Ryks has a diverse background in airport management and aviation education. Brian currently serves as the Executive Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission since 2016. From 2012 to 2016, they were the Chief Executive Officer of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority, where they managed the administration and operations of the airport. Prior to that, from 2002 to 2012, they served as the Executive Director of the Duluth Airport Authority, responsible for overseeing the administration and management of the Duluth International Airport. Before that, from 1997 to 2002, they were the Airport Manager of St. Cloud Regional Airport, where they successfully increased revenues and acquired funding for airfield redevelopment. Alongside their airport management career, they also worked as an Adjunct Faculty and Airport Management Professor at St. Cloud State University from 1998 to 2002, and as the Airport Manager of Aberdeen Regional Airport from 1995 to 1997. Brian began their career in 1986 at the Metropolitan Airports Commission as a Noise Technician, overseeing monitoring projects and operation maintenance. Throughout their career, Brian Ryks has demonstrated expertise in airport operations, administration, and development.
Brian Ryks attended St. Cloud State University where they obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice Studies and Aviation. Additionally, they received a certification from the American Association of Airport Executives in September 1991. No further details about the start or end years of their education were provided.
Metropolitan Airports Commission
The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) is dedicated to providing services that consistently exceed the expectations of its customers. Whether it's providing exciting shopping and healthy dining options at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), plowing snow from one of its seven airports' runways, designing and building sustainable facilities, or ensuring the organization's long-term financial strength, the MAC strives to fulfill its vision statement: Providing your best airport experience. Created in 1943 by Minnesota state law, the MAC is a public corporation providing coordinated aviation services throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In fact, the MAC operates one of the largest airport systems in the nation, which includes MSP and six general aviation airports. Together these airports help drive the region's economy and job growth while providing quick, easy access to destinations around the globe. A 15-member board of commissioners appointed by Minnesota's governor and the mayors of Minneapolis and Saint Paul establishes the commission's policies. Those policies are implemented by the commission's senior leadership and staff. The MAC and its airports are funded through rents and fees paid by airport users, not by general tax dollars.