President’s Fireside Chats

The President’s Fireside Chat is a sub-series of the President’s Speaker Series, focusing on local industry leaders and prominent alumni. Hosted by MSU Denver President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., the ongoing series provides an opportunity for an intimate experience for academic courses to engage with local leaders. The series offers a wide range of thought-provoking and conversation inducing ideas and topics. The Fireside Chat Series has featured such guests as Robert Kenney, Gloria Steinem and Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, Monica M. Márquez, among others.

MSU Denver President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., will welcome Phillip Washington, the CEO of Denver International Airport, for a fireside chat in the CAVEA Theater from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mar. 9.

Phillip A. Washington was initially nominated by Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock in July 2021 and most recently by current Mayor Mike Johnston in July 2023. In 2024, DEN ranked as the third-busiest airport in the U.S. and the sixth-busiest airport in the world. DEN is Colorado’s largest economic engine with an annual economic impact of $47.2 billion. The airport has more than 40,000 badged employees, 26 commercial airlines with 232 destinations (both domestic and international).

At DEN, Phil oversees a $12.5 billion-dollar Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The vision he has set forth includes completely retrofitting the airport to accommodate 50 million more passengers than the airport was originally designed for. To that end, Phil has led his team in opening 39 new airport gates along with the relocation of its airline ticket counters; open two new massive state-of-the-art (thirty-four lanes total) security lane areas, both ahead of schedule and under budget; began the professional services work on a massive consolidated rental car facility (17,500 spaces) and passenger transport system to it; and excelled in DEN’s safety programs by earning “No” deficiencies on 3 of the last 4 airport Part 139 Safety Certification Inspections. Phil and his team’s fiscal management has been stellar as evident by all three credit rating agencies upgrading DEN’s credit rating in 2023 to the highest in the history of the airport. Additionally, DEN ranked Number #1, in 2025, for domestic destinations served non-stop and set passenger records for every month in 2025 for international passenger traffic. Phil and his team are accelerating the construction of the terminal (Great Hall) project; and have completed construction for a one-of-its kind “Center of Equity & Excellence in Aviation (CEEA)” that will introduce young people to the aviation industry and create career pathways for thousands; and most importantly, Phil has created a culture of safety throughout the airport and amongst the 40,000 employees on campus.

Prior to Washington’s arrival at DEN, he was the CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) from 2015 to 2021. At Metro, Washington managed a balanced budget of $8.5 billion and provided oversight of an agency with 11,000 employees that transported 1.2 million boarding passengers daily on a fleet of 2,200 clean-air buses and six rail lines. Washington led the 2016 successful effort to pass Measure M, a new half- cent sales tax in Los Angeles County (the most populous county in the United States), which garnered 71.15% voter approval. Measure M is allowing Metro to build 40 major highway and transit projects over the next 40 years, create 778,000 jobs and provide $133.3 billion in economic impact for the region. LA County residents are currently benefiting from the Measure with recent rail, highway, and bus facility openings.

Washington also served as the CEO of Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) between 2009 and 2015 and worked as the assistant general manager of RTD for nearly 10 years before being named CEO. In Denver, he led and implemented the FasTracks (another successful sales tax initiative) program, one of the largest voter-approved transportation expansion programs in the country.
Originally from the South Side of Chicago, Washington is a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army, where he ultimately held the rank of Command Sergeant Major, the highest non-commissioned officer rank an enlisted soldier can achieve. He retired from active duty, is a disabled veteran and was awarded the prestigious Defense Superior Service Medal for exceptional service to his country. He holds a B.A. in Business from Columbia College and an M.A. in Management from Webster University.

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