Houssam “Sam” Sleiman always knew he would be an engineer. In his birthplace of Lebanon, the medical and engineering fields were the top two most respected choices, and, “I didn’t want to be a doctor,” chuckles the director of capital programs and environmental affairs for the Massachussetts Port Authority.
But after working in a variety of roles in both public and private sectors, Sleiman discovered his true love aside from his wife of 26 years: airports. “I got bit by the aviation bug. Once you get bit, that’s it,” he says. “You get so hooked on airports and the intrigue of the business. You’re building facilities that serve millions of people a year. What makes it rewarding is that everything you do is for the greater good—not just designing something for a developer who is just there to make money.”