The Tucson Airport Authority (TAA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Sarah Simmons as Director of Sustainability and Environmental Services. In this capacity, Simmons will direct and coordinate environmental management, planning, sustainability, and compliance activities for Tucson International Airport (TUS) and Ryan Airfield (RYN). She will also ensure the TAA remains in compliance with the Consent Decree obligations associated with the Tucson International Airport Superfund Site. Simmons, an Arizona and Nevada professional environmental engineer, joins the TAA with a deep understanding of environmental projects around the TUS campus.
“The responsibility we hold as stewards of the airport environment requires someone with a very special skill set,” said President/CEO Danette Bewley. “The TAA is pleased that Sarah has joined our team to fill this critical role.”
Prior to joining the organization, she worked for GHD consulting as an engineer and project manager on the TAA’s Soils Remediation Project. On top of her impressive qualifications, that level of institutional knowledge will allow Simmons to hit the ground running as a director, according to TAA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Bruce Goetz.
“We are excited about multiple projects that will transform TUS and Ryan Airfield, and each one has an environmental component,” said Goetz. “As we plan for the future of our airport system, sustainability is a major component that the TAA strives to increase. We are excited to see the impact that Sarah makes as a part of the team.”
Simmons’ environmental career spans more than a decade and includes successful execution of projects from their engineering to their construction phases. That experience includes project management, project cost estimating and tracking, coordination, oversight, environmental compliance, field sampling, Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessments (ESA’s), and emerging contaminant investigations. Simmons earned two bachelor’s degrees from Louisiana State University in Environmental Engineering and Construction Management.
She enjoys many of the outdoor activities Arizona has to offer including camping, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, and trail running with her two Australian Shepherds, Bindi and Osito.
