DALLAS — An eight-month vacancy in the chief financial officer's post at Denver International Airport came to an end with the promotion of Gisela Shanahan, officials said.
Shanahan has been with DIA since 2014, as the senior manager for capital planning and budget and more recently as acting senior vice president of finance.
She replaces Patrick Heck, who stepped down in September to take with real estate developer Continuum Partners. Shanahan has shared Heck's duties as acting vice president of finance since Heck left.
Prior to joining DIA, Shanahan was the financial manager and agency controller for the Denver Wastewater/Stormwater Utility Enterprise. She also spent seven years as the chief financial officer for the Colorado Springs Airport. Shanahan is a certified public accountant and has served on a number of national boards and committees, including a task force at the White House, the City and County of Denver's Employee Health and Benefits Committee, and the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
Shanahan takes control of the airport's finances as DIA nears completion of a $571 million Westin Hotel and a Regional Transportation District commuter line linking DIA to downtown Denver's Union Station.
The airport's annual revenues are about $900 million, and its capital program is $1.4 billion.
