Events List

GBTA NORTH CENTRAL CHAPTER
APRIL MONTHLY MEETING

April 8th, 2021
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Join us as MAC CEO Brian Ryks and TSA Federal Security Director Martin Robinson provide MSP Airport and TSA Updates

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on air travel at the Minneapolis – Saint Paul Airport. Metropolitan Airports Commission CEO Brian Ryks and new Transportation Security Administration Federal Security Director Martin Robinson will review how their organizations navigated the pandemic and are preparing for air travel recovery that is well underway.

Brian Ryks
Executive Director/CEO
Metropolitan Airports Commission                   

Brian D. Ryks, A.A.E. was appointed Executive Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission in May 2016. He is responsible for the administration and management of Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport and the MAC’s six reliever airports.

Before arriving in Minneapolis, he held a similar position as executive director and CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While there, Mr. Ryks oversaw the completion of several significant projects, including an airport re-branding campaign, transition from a county- controlled airport to an airport authority, major expansion and renovation of Concourse B, and construction of a state-of-the-art storm water/aircraft deicing natural treatment system and a new general and corporate aviation arrivals terminal. He also initiated a $45 million terminal expansion and consolidated TSA passenger screening checkpoints. Ryks also led an innovative funding campaign to raise $20 million in private capital in support of the terminal expansion. 

During Ryks’ tenure, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport set all-time records for passengers in 2014 and 2015 and was rated in 2015 as the number one airport in North America in its size category by the Airports Council International Airport Service Quality survey.

Prior to his time in Michigan, Ryks was the executive director at the Duluth Airport Authority, overseeing Duluth International Airport in Minnesota and Sky Harbor, a general aviation airport. During his 10 years in Duluth, Mr. Ryks oversaw completion of $135 million in airport improvements, culminating with a $77 million project to develop a new terminal.

Prior to arriving in Duluth, Mr. Ryks was employed for five years as the airport manager at the St. Cloud Regional Airport and for two years as the airport manager in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Before Aberdeen, Mr. Ryks spent six years in Denver where he was the manager of noise abatement at Stapleton and Denver International Airports. He was also the project manager for the development and installation of an Airport Noise and Operations Monitoring System at the Denver International Airport.

He began his career as a noise technician at the Metropolitan Airports Commission in 1986.

Mr. Ryks holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Cloud State University, is a licensed pilot with an instrument rating and an Accredited Airport Executive with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). He currently serves on the Airports Council International North America (ACI-NA) Board of Directors, is Chairman of the ACI Audit Committee, represents ACI-NA on it’s World Governing Board and is on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). He also holds a professional affiliation with the Great Lakes Chapter of AAAE (GL-AAAE) and is past president of GL-AAAE.

He was awarded a TSA Partnership Award in 2006, a Patriot Award in 2008 from the Employee Support of National Guard & Reserve, a 2009 Minnesota Council of Airport’s Award of Excellence for Outstanding Promotion of Aviation, a 2012 Minnesota Council of Airports Distinguished Service Award and was named the 2015 Newsmaker of the Year in Economic Development by the Grand Rapids Business Journal.

Martin Robinson
Federal Security Director
Transportation Security Administration

Martin W. Robinson is currently the Transportation Security Administration’s Federal Security Director (FSD) for Minnesota.  Responsible for leading the security of all transportation modes in Minnesota.  He joined the Minnesota team in February 2021.

Previously, he was the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Representative/Attaché resident in the U.S. Embassy, Tokyo. He had responsibility for Japan and Korea.  The Transportation Security Administration Representative position is within the International Operations Directorate of the Office of Global Strategies (GS) at TSA. As the TSA Representative, he was responsible for developing, improving, and promoting transportation security programs and processes. The TSA Representative facilitates and works with technical security experts to ensure compliance with both international and TSA standards. Mr. Robinson also served as the principal transportation security advisor to the Ambassador and other U.S. Embassy officials.  He was selected for this position in December of 2016.

Mr. Robinson has held a variety of leadership positions at TSA HQ.  He was the Federal Security Director (FSD) at Southwest Regional International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida. Prior to this he was serving in the Office of Security Operations (SO) as the Deputy Division Director of Threat Assessment, which has program oversight of the Explosive Operations, Behavioral Detection and Analysis, and National Explosives Detection Canine Training branches.  Immediately prior to this, for the last several years, he held the position of Division Director of Current Operations within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (IA), where he led the Intelligence Watch, Field Intelligence Officers, and Liaison and Integration branches. Prior to his return to TSA in 2010, Mr. Robinson worked as a Watch Officer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC) and acted as the Liaison to multiple intelligence agencies and representatives at the daily NJTTF intelligence briefings.  Prior to his time at NCTC, Mr. Robinson worked with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, where he was a contracted Senior Program Officer responsible for training and management for surveillance detection teams deployed at U.S. Embassies and Consulates throughout Europe and Africa.  Mr. Robinson has an extensive background in intelligence, analytical and investigative operations, intelligence dissemination programs, as well as, overseeing large scale surveillance detection/counter-surveillance activities and security screening operations.

Mr. Robinson started his government career with the Office of Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service in February of 2002 and was later promoted into the Office of Security Operations at Denver International Airport. 

Prior to his government service he was an entrepreneur for more than 20 years in New Jersey. He is married to Cindy Robinson and they have two daughters, Molly and Emma, and two sons, William and Declan.