OREANDA-NEWS. The DFW Airport Board of Directors elected new Board officers for 2014, in keeping with the regular transition process prescribed by DFW Airport Board's Rules of Procedure. Two new and two reappointed members were also announced at the meeting.

DFW Board Vice Chair Lillie Biggins of Fort Worth was elected Board Chair, marking the second time for Ms. Biggins to serve a term as the DFW Board Chair. Board Secretary Sam Coats of Dallas was elected as Vice Chair, and former DFW Board Chair Francisco Hernandez of Fort Worth was elected as the new Board Secretary, also for a second time. All three assumed their new roles in today's Board meeting.

The Board honored the achievements and memory of the late Board Chair Robert Hsueh who passed away Sunday, and recognized the service of Board member Jeff Wentworth, whose term had expired. Mr. Wentworth had served on the DFW Board since 2004.

Joining the Airport Board for 2014 are William (Bill) Meadows of Fort Worth and William Tsao of Dallas. Mr. Meadows joined the Board for his first meeting today, while Mr. Tsao will begin his term at a later date to be determined by the Dallas City Council.

The Dallas City Council also re-appointed Sam Coats and Bernice Washington to additional two-year terms on the Board.

New Board Chair Lillie Biggins, B.S.N., M.S.N., is a 30-year veteran of the health care industry and is the president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. Ms. Biggins joined Texas Health Fort Worth in 1997 as vice president of operations, overseeing major departments such as Emergency Services, Trauma Services and Restorative Services. She has served on the DFW Airport Board since 2005.

New Board Vice Chair Sam Coats has extensive aviation experience, serving as President of Muse Air Corporation as well as having held senior management positions with Continental Airlines, Inc., Southern Cross Airlines

Holdings in Australia, Southwest Airlines Company, Braniff Airways, Inc. and Texas International Airlines, Inc. Mr. Coats has also practiced law with the firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist in Dallas and has served as a member of the Texas legislature. Mr. Coats has served on the DFW Airport Board since 2012.

New Board Secretary Francisco Hernandez, Jr. is a criminal law specialist and an expert in international relations and politics. In addition to running his law firm, Mr. Hernandez has also served as an associate Municipal Judge and as Chairman of the Texas Ethics Commission. Mr. Hernandez originally joined the DFW Airport Board in May 2006,

New Board member Bill Meadows brings a wealth of experience in government affairs to the Airport Board. He most recently served on the Texas Transportation Commission, which oversees statewide activities of the Texas Department of Transportation. Mr. Meadows previously served as vice chairman of the North Texas Tollway Authority, as an appointee to the Texas Water Development Board and as a city council member and mayor pro-tempore for the City of Fort Worth.

New Board member William Tsao brings extensive engineering, business and public service experience to the Airport Board, as he currently serves on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board where he chairs the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Committee. Mr. Tsao is president of Pinnacle Facility Engineering in Dallas, and has served as a consulting engineer on numerous regional projects.

The DFW International Airport Board is comprised of 12 members, with the Dallas and Fort Worth Mayors each holding a permanent seat on the Board. The Dallas City Council appoints six members of the Board, and the Fort Worth City Council appoints three members. A single non-voting member is appointed by one of the four host cities of DFW Airport, rotating annually between the cities of Euless, Grapevine, Irving and Coppell. The current non-voting member is Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne.