During its proceedings Wednesday, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board of directors welcomed new director Brett Gibson of Virginia and paid tribute to Warner Session, whose final term representing the District of Columbia will end on January 5, 2023.

 Gibson, an appointee of the governor of Virginia, is a Partner at Brown Advisory, a global investment firm that provides financial advice to individuals and institutions.    

Prior to joining Brown Advisory, Gibson was co-founder and managing partner of NextGen Venture Partners, a venture capital fund that invests in emerging technology companies. Gibson has been serving for over 20 years in the Army National Guard, where he is currently a lieutenant colonel and the commander of 1-183d Infantry Battalion. He has served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait and is qualified as an Army Ranger.  

Gibson is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the McIntire Commerce School at the University of Virginia.  

Session is the longest-serving member on the current board. His colleagues thanked him in Wednesday’s meeting for two six-year terms of dedicated service. Session was appointed by the mayor of the District of Columbia in 2011, serving two terms as Chairman, two terms as Vice Chairman, in addition to chairing several Board committees. Additionally, he represented the District on the Airports Advisory Committee between 1992 and 2004 and served one term as chairman.  

During his service, Session was a strong advocate for several Airports Authority people and programs, including disadvantaged business enterprise procurements, Small Business University, contracting manual revisions, airline service expansion, diversity, inclusion and social impact, as well as employee recognition.  

"Through his leadership, Warner has brought invaluable perspectives and insights to our business,” said Jack Potter, Airports Authority president and chief executive officer. “He has been a champion of our programs to expand opportunities for small and minority businesses, especially in the concessions area. I will miss Warner’s leadership, his enthusiasm and energy, his wise counsel, his lively sense of humor and his friendship as he departs the board.”