New Leaders Steering $1B Airport Expansion

Reno-Tahoe International Airport is moving its roughly $1 billion MoreRNO expansion forward under a reshaped leadership team after former President and CEO Daren Griffin left for Columbus earlier this year. The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, or RTAA, named Cris Jensen interim president and chief executive officer effective Feb. 1 while it conducts a national search for a permanent leader. The airport’s executive roster now also shows Gary Probert as chief infrastructure and planning officer and Graham Ritz as interim chief operations and public safety officer. The changes come as RTAA pushes ahead on terminal, concourse, parking and airfield work tied to passenger growth. ### Who is running the airport expansion now? Cris Jensen is serving as interim president and CEO after RTAA announced on Dec. 29, 2025, that he would take over during the search for a permanent chief executive. Jensen had been the airport authority’s chief operations and public safety officer before the interim appointment. RTAA board minutes show the appointment runs until a new president and CEO is named, but no longer than eight months or through Sept. 25, 2026. (renoairport.com) The executive team page lists Gary Probert as chief infrastructure and planning officer, the role tied most directly to major capital projects, and Graham Ritz as interim chief operations and public safety officer. The same page lists Mark Berg as chief commercial officer, Natalie Brown as chief marketing and public affairs officer, Randall Carlton as chief finance and administration officer, Emily Ellison as chief people and culture officer, and Jenn Ewan as chief legal officer. (renoairport.com) ### What happened to the previous chief executive? Daren Griffin left RTAA after accepting the top job at the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. RTAA announced the leadership transition on Dec. 16, 2025, and said Griffin’s last day in Reno would be Jan. 31, 2026. The Dec. 16 release said Griffin had led RTAA since Aug. 3, 2020, and oversaw the launch of the $1 billion-plus MoreRNO infrastructure program. (renoairport.com) Board Chair Shaun Carey said at the time that Griffin had brought “energy, thoughtfulness and a strong sense of purpose” to the authority over five years. ### Which projects are already underway inside MoreRNO? (renoairport.com) RTAA says MoreRNO is a multi-year infrastructure program backed by federal, state, bond and private funding sources and aimed at about $1 billion in investment. The airport’s project page says the program includes a ground transportation center, parking expansion, loop road improvements, new concourses, a ticketing hall expansion, and a police and airport authority headquarters. (renoairport.com) The biggest active construction package is the New Gen A&B concourses project. RTAA said on March 3 that the concourse work is a $650 million investment that will modernize and nearly double the size of the airport’s existing concourses, with phased construction starting at Concourse A and completion expected by late 2029. The authority said the project is backed by a 10-year lease agreement with signatory airlines and includes full gate replacement with common-use flexibility. (renoairport.com) A separate MoreRNO component broke ground in October 2025 when RTAA and project partners started work on the new ground transportation center and consolidated rental car facility. Airport X, citing RTAA’s project details, reported the privately funded facility carries a $299 million price tag and is scheduled to open in 2028. RTAA’s project page says the building will span about 440,220 square feet and consolidate rental cars, taxis, shuttles and ride-hail operations. (renoairport.com) ### How large is Reno’s air-travel buildout? RTAA describes MoreRNO as an approximately $1 billion airport-wide investment program. The authority says it is financially self-sufficient and reinvests airport revenue into operations and capital improvements rather than relying on dedicated state or local tax revenue. Reno-Tahoe International serves 11 airlines with nonstop destinations across the United States and Mexico, according to RTAA releases. (renoairport.com) The authority said in its December leadership announcement that Griffin had led the airport through a return to pre-pandemic passenger levels and record-breaking passenger volume. ### Where can the public track the next decisions? (renoairport.com) RTAA’s public meetings page lists special board meetings on June 1 and June 2, followed by a Planning and Construction Committee meeting on June 9 and a full Board of Trustees meeting on June 11. The agendas page for May committee meetings shows Gary Probert presenting capital items, including a taxiway and aircraft apron reconstruction contract for Reno-Stead Airport. (renoairport.com) The next public milestones on the airport side are already dated. RTAA says the new ground transportation center is scheduled for 2028, while both new concourses are expected to be complete by late 2029, with Jensen, Probert, Ritz and the RTAA board overseeing the work in the interim. (airportxnews.com) (renoairport.com)