Los Angeles native Jacob Haik was named the manager of Van Nuys Airport in September. He previously served as Los Angeles World Airport’s director of sustainability and compliance.
1: He has a degree in biochemistry and once dreamed of becoming a doctor. Haik says he loved science at a young age and once thought he would open a free clinic. Instead, he discovered a love of biochemistry and was involved in student government. Haik says his degree “gives me a solid understanding of how things work behind the scenes” and a “good foundation.”
2: Haik has four kids. He has two boys and two girls. “Saturdays got interesting” when the kids went to school, he jokes, adding that UCLA and USC are among the schools his children attended.
3: One son wants to be a commercial pilot. Similar to his dad, one of Haik’s sons also decided against medical school after studying science. Haik says he has an “incredible sense of pride to see my son choose something he loves.” He adds that it “helps give me that personal perspective of the industry.”
4: He is passionate about sustainability. Haik says he has big plans to make Van Nuys Airport more sustainable. His plans for the facility include expanding EV charging and green aviation practices. He adds that growing sustainably and supporting the economic engine that is the airport are two of his goals. Van Nuys Airport, he says, contributes more than $2 billion to the local economy annually.
5: Haik is from Wilmington. Haik grew up in Wilmington, near the Port of Los Angeles. “The port and the airport aren’t really different; we both move something and we are both are a city department and we both generate our own revenue but also have an outside government agency that regulates us,” he says. Growing up so close to transit, he says, gave him a “better appreciation of the complexities of it” and allowed him to see its importance as an economic generator.
