Ai Yamanaka

Ai “Aila” Yamanaka is the Program Director for the Port Authority of NY and NJ Aviation Data and Tech Solutions team, which encompasses the Data Analytics and Business Intelligence (DABI), Strategic Analysis and Forecasting (SAF), Aviation Technology and Digital (ATD), and Innovation and Coordination (I&C) teams within the Aviation Strategy Unit.  

In her role, she is responsible for facilitating the use of data as a key driver in strategic and operational decision-making, guiding the investment of technology to build capacity for innovation, overseeing air traffic reporting, forecasting, strategic analyses, and providing data-centered in-house consulting services for the region’s critical airport systems, including JFK, LGA, EWR, SWF and TEB.

Beginning in 2018, she led a data and analytics strategy that led to the creation of the agency’s first data science team and analytics center of practice, deploying data as a service across the enterprise. Through her tenure, she has helped build a culture of people-first analytics, launching a literacy program and founding the agency’s employee-led Data Analytics Working Group (DAWGs).

Aila started at the Port Authority in 2016 as a Leadership Fellow and has held progressively more responsible roles in the Aviation Department. She is a Certified Member (CM) of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and holds a Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) degree with a concentration in Transportation and Land Use from the Bloustein School at Rutgers University. As a Posse scholar, Aila received her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in International Relations and East Asian Studies from Colby College.