Airport_Business_November_2020 - 41

UNDER

Vernon M. Taylor, SHRM-CP

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Alma Mater: Berkeley
College; The New School Milano
Fun fact about yourself: I
love cooking (breakfast).
Someone I look up to in
the industry: Delta CEO Ed
Bastian
My favorite thing about
aviation is: Airplanes! They
fascinate me every time.

Vernon M. Taylor is the director of human resources for JFK
International Air Terminal LLC, the operator of Terminal 4 at
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). He leads efforts
to keep the organization focused on its core mission to make
JFKIAT a top-ranked Best Place to Work, driving strategy to
develop both personnel and organizational capabilities.
" The transportation industry has always seemed to find me, "
he said. " I started with vehicles, then buses and now airplanes. "
Taylor pioneered the establishment of JFKIAT's corporate HR
department and built it from the ground up, implementing
new HR policies and providing employees with a wide range
of resources and benefits.
He also led efforts to implement the company's first human
resources management system, led the company's first
employee engagement survey and is currently establishing
its first learning management system. The department was
founded on the belief that human capital is JFKIAT's greatest
asset.
He consistently counsels personnel to encourage their
development of professional skills and finds new ways to
engage employees. He has scaled these efforts to establish a
mentorship program to provide opportunities for employees
to learn from their peers.
" I think it is important that we see more diversity in leadership
roles across the aviation industry, " he said.

Taylor is chair of JFKIAT's 4GOOD Committee, which is aimed
at promoting educational, social and professional success,
driven by the mission that a strong community yields a strong
future.
He shifted the program's activity to focus on the local
community, ensuring that JFKIAT is an active partner in the
borough of Queens that the company calls home.
Taylor cultivated JFKIAT's relationships with several local
organizations and continued a long-standing partnership with
Virgil I. Grissom Middle School to facilitate donations of book
bags, school supplies and more than 40 computers to the
school's students and participated in programs with students
throughout the school year.
Within the last year alone, JFKIAT donated 100 turkeys to
Bethany Baptist Church for Thanksgiving to help feed dozens
of families in Jamaica, Queens; worked with the Boys and
Girls Club of Metro Queens to raise money for the club's
educational and recreational programs, and raised a total of
$168K to benefit several causes, including the NY Burn Center,
the American Cancer Society, and St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital.

www.AviationPros.com/21149733

KaiserAir
congratulates

Bronwyn
Lindsay
in her
well-deserved
selection
as a
40 Under 40
winner!

NOVEMBER 2020 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 41
http://www.AviationPros.com/21149733 http://www.AVIATIONPROS.COM
Airport_Business_November_2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Airport_Business_November_2020
