Terri Mestas is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience leading private and public organizations with a domestic and international presence. She leads LAWAs $30B Capital Improvement Program, that includes projects such as the Automated People Mover, the new Terminal 9, new Concourse 0, new Cargo Facilities, new Roadways into LAX, Runway and Taxiway Projects, among other projects. She leads a team of dedicated staff members with support from over 450 companies executing work at Los Angeles International (LAX), Van Nuys and Palmdale Airports.
Prior to joining LAWA, Ms. Mestas held the position of Senior Director for Capital Projects, Modernization, Planning, Design and Construction at The California Institute of Technology, where she led a multi-disciplinary team providing planning, space management, project management, design, engineering, procurement, building inspection, commissioning, and construction services. Ms. Mestas also held several positions for AECOM, including Vice President, Federal Market Sector Leader, Principal in Charge and Program Manager for two NASA centers and Program Manager for the $14.9 billion Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) bond program.
Her portfolio of work includes local and federal government projects for the Army, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Coast Guard, United States Navy, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), NASA, Overseas Building Operations (OBO), higher education and K–12 organizations, among others.
Ms. Mestas has received numerous honors and accolades, including top 5 women executives in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2015. In 2015 and 2019, she won the CMAA Program Management of the Year award for the NASA Ames Program and the LACCD $6.5 billion capital improvement program, respectively. Her work has been documented by the Society of Military Engineers (SAME) publication and the Military Engineer. In 2023, Los Angeles Business Journal identified Ms. Mestas as one of LA ’s most influential women in their 5th annual, Women of Influence: Construction, Engineering & Architecture.
She currently serves as an Advisory Board member for the USC Marshall Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute. Ms. Mestas has a Bachelor of Architecture from Catholic University, is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), LEED Accredited Professional and Certified Construction Manager (CCM).
