The executive who will steer more than $800 million a year in contracts for Dulles International Airport and the Dulles Toll Road has a name: LaDonna Key.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced Tuesday, Aug. 25, that Key has joined as vice president for supply chain management. Her office handles procurement for Reagan National, Dulles International and the Dulles Toll Road, putting her at the center of contracting decisions that will shape the corridor for years.

Key arrives from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where she spent more than 18 years managing major construction contracts and more than $3 billion in service contracts. She is a licensed attorney with a law degree from Texas Wesleyan University.

"LaDonna Key's expertise and knowledge of the airport and airline industries will be invaluable as the Airports Authority embarks on a period of major construction and renovation projects at our airports," said Andy Rountree, MWAA's senior vice president and chief financial officer, who oversees the supply chain office.

Why it matters for Reston

Key's appointment comes days after the MWAA board unanimously approved a $15.5 billion addition to its capital construction budget for Dulles on Aug. 19, bringing the airport's forward-looking construction total to $19.9 billion over 15 years. The largest single package, a $6.2 billion renovation and expansion of the main terminal and Concourse A/B, is expected to reach contract award by the end of 2026, with construction beginning in 2027.

That spending flows through Key's office. MWAA posts procurement opportunities on its own board rather than the federal SAM.gov system because the Dulles program is funded through authority bonds and airline contributions, not federal appropriations, according to GovCon Weekly.

For Reston-area contractors and technology firms along the Dulles Toll Road corridor, the procurement office is the gateway to that work. MWAA president and CEO Jack Potter called Key's hire a fill of "this critical position," saying her leadership will play "an important role" in facilitating contracts as the authority ramps up construction.

The Package A design contract award, expected by year-end, will be the first major test of the procurement office under Key's leadership.