CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Douglas International Airport needs to land a new chief operating officer. Jerome Woodard, CLT’s COO since October 2022, is leaving his job next week. Woodard has been hired by Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as executive vice president of operations, according to a CLT spokesperson.
Charlotte Douglas has begun advertising for Woodard’s replacement, listing a salary range of $213,000 to $248,000 annually. Jacksonville, Florida-based ADK Consulting & Executive Search is leading the search for Woodard’s replacement. Applications are due by Dec. 7.
By swapping CLT for DFW, Woodard is moving to a much larger airport. Charlotte Douglas set a record last year with 59 million passengers, ranking sixth among U.S. airports. DFW is the third busiest airport in the world; in 2024, passenger traffic reached 88 million.
Woodard’s tenure here included much of the airport’s $600 million makeover and expansion of the main terminal lobby, finished in September. In addition, Woodard has been part of an executive team — led by CEO Haley Gentry — that has steered a $4 billion series of additions and renovations. Known as Destination CLT, work on those projects began in 2017 and is scheduled to finish in 2027 with the completion of a billion-dollar, fourth parallel runway.
According to the job listing from CLT, the airport’s chief operating officer oversees security, safety, airfield operations, emergency management and terminal operations. Compliance with FAA, TSA and city government regulations also falls within the COO’s portfolio.
Charlotte city government owns the airport, but does not contribute funding to its day-to-day operations. The airport runs on a combination of passenger fees, airline and airport leases, retail and parking sales and, for capital projects, federal grants.
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