USF President Judy Genshaft honors TPA CEO Joe Lopano with global leadership award
The prestigious award recognizes TPA's role in expanding the Tampa Bay region's global reach, having added several nonstop international routes under Lopano's leadership.
Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano on May 3 received the President’s Global Leadership Award from University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft at the USF College of Arts and Sciences afternoon commencement ceremony.
The award, established in 2006 during the University’s 50th anniversary year, honors individuals who have achieved exemplary accomplishments in international leadership or global relations.
“This is a huge honor and I thank USF President Judy Genshaft for recognizing the role the airport plays in expanding our region’s global reach,” Lopano said. “The world’s first transatlantic passenger flight was just 80 years ago, and now our airport serves nearly a half a million international passengers every year. Air travel connects our region to the world and builds greater understanding among cultures and communities.”
Under Mr. Lopano’s leadership, international passenger traffic at TPA has grown by more than 150 percent, with new nonstop service to Switzerland, Iceland, Germany, Holland, Panama and Cuba added since 2010.
Previous winners of USF’s Global Leadership Award have included Nava Ben Zvi, President of Hadassa College in Jerusalem; Young Sun Lee, President of Hallym University in Korea; Jorge Motta, Secretary Minister of Science and Technology of Panama; and Ibrahim Gambari, Nigerian scholar and diplomat.
Lopano was named Visit Tampa Bay’s 2015 Ambassador of the Year and received the 2015 Aviation Professional of the Year Award from the Florida Department of Transportation. In 2018, he was named the Airport Director of the Year in the Large Airports category by Airport Experience News, a national airport industry publication.