Transportation 2025: JOHN POTTER

Potter oversees two of the busiest airports in the country— Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International — as well as the Dulles Toll Road.

In 2024, more than 53.54 million passengers came through the two Northern Virginia airports, setting a new travel record.

This year, Reagan National has been at the center of controversy due to numerous safety incidents, including a Jan. 29 midair collision of an airliner and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near the airport that killed 67 people. The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report in March revealing more than 15,000 near-misses between commercial airplanes and helicopters between October 2021 and December 2024.

Potter and the MWAA board last year reached a 15-year agreement with airlines that took effect in January 2025 and includes a $9 billion capital construction program. It includes nearly $7 billion in expansion and improvements at Dulles. Reagan’s $2.39 billion program will include replacing its main concourse.

A New York native, Potter served as U.S. postmaster general for 10 years. He earned degrees from Fordham University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Return to the full list of this category’s recipients.