Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez Appoints Aviation Director

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez has appointed Dr. Emilio T. Gonzalez as the new Director of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, effective April 1, 2013.  Dr. Gonzalez’s appointment follows the resignation of Jose Abreu, who announced his resignation on January 4, 2013.  Abreu’s last day with the County is on March 31, 2013.  In order to provide for an orderly transition, Dr. Gonzalez’s start date of employment is March 25, 2013, as director-designate. 

“I want to thank Jose Abreu for his service and commend him for his many accomplishments during his time at the Aviation Department,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez.  “I am confident that Emilio Gonzalez – with his knowledge of domestic and foreign business, government and policy practices – is the ideal person to lead our airports forward.”     

Dr. Gonzalez will oversee the department’s 1,227 employees, $428.9 million budget and finalize a $6.5 billion capital improvement program.  He is responsible for planning, directing and coordinating an extensive and complex airport system, including Miami International Airport, Homestead General, Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, Opa-locka Executive Airport, and the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.  Gonzalez will also encourage the maximum use of airport facilities to provide a range of high quality aviation-related services for the communities served by the airport system, and generate revenues adequate to operate and develop the airport system as a self-sustaining financial enterprise. 

Aviation Director Dr. Emilio T. Gonzalez 
Prior to joining Miami-Dade County, Dr. Gonzalez was President and CEO of NPI Advisors, an international and government affairs consulting firm.  Previously, he served as President and CEO of Indra USA, the United States subsidy of Spain’s Indra Sistemas, S.A., a leading European-based international company specializing in IT solutions.

Dr. Gonzalez has spent most of his career involved in foreign affairs and international security policy issues.  He served as Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an Under Secretary position within the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C.  He was also Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House.  He completed a distinguished career in the U.S. Army retiring with the rank of Colonel.

A graduate of the University of South Florida with a B.A. in International Studies, Dr. Gonzalez also earned M.A. degrees in Latin American Studies form Tulane University and in Strategic Studies and National Security Affairs from the U.S. Naval War College.  He was awarded a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Miami.  Dr. Gonzalez is a member of various boards in the banking, technology and social services fields including the Red Cross of Greater Miami and the Keys and St. Thomas University School of Business, among others.