Doug Kreulen Named 2026 ACI-NA Excellence in Visionary Leadership Award Recipient
Why It MattersThe award highlights how sustained infrastructure investment and route expansion can reposition a mid-size regional airport as a major national gateway.
Airports Council International – North America named Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, the recipient of the 2026 Excellence in Visionary Leadership Award, presented on September 15, 2026, during the ACI-NA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia.
Kreulen has led MNAA since 2017, overseeing Nashville International Airport, following a 27-year U.S. Air Force career that included command assignments in Saudi Arabia, Germany, Arkansas and Japan and service as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Under his tenure, BNA's annual passenger traffic grew more than 83 percent, from 13.5 million in 2017 to 24.8 million in 2025, while the airport pursued a $4.5 billion infrastructure program spanning the completed $1.5 billion BNA Vision program and the $3 billion New Horizon program targeting 40 million annual passengers by 2029.
BNA added nonstop European service for the first time, grew from zero to three transatlantic routes, and surpassed 100 nonstop destinations for the first time in its history. Concession and retail offerings more than doubled from 52 to over 100 businesses, unrestricted assets rose $148.1 million and operating revenues increased $23.8 million in fiscal year 2025 with no local tax funding, and BNA earned 58 industry awards over the past two years. Kreulen leads a workforce of more than 12,500 airport personnel, including 450 MNAA full-time employees. ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke said Kreulen has transformed Nashville International Airport "from a growing regional facility into one of the fastest-growing airports in the country."
