Tracy Harrison, the director of ground transportation at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, stepped down from her position earlier this month following after an appeal she filed against an ethics sanction was denied.
In October 2023, the city of Atlanta’s ethics office imposed a $2,000 fine on Harrison. The penalty was a result of her referral of her son for a job at MTI Limo and Shuttle Services, a vendor responsible for curbside management at the airport—a contract directly under Harrison’s supervision. Despite her appeal, the ethics office maintained the sanction in March 2024.
The ethics office’s decision came after a thorough investigation conducted the previous year. The probe revealed that Harrison did not disclose her son’s employment with MTI to the city, a violation of the city’s code of ethics.MTI was awarded the contract for curbside management in 2019, the same year Harrison’s son was hired by the company. The contract was later renewed in 2022 under Harrison’s management. According to the ethics office, even though Harrison claimed there was no ethical issue, the vendor felt “pressure or influence” to keep her son employed.
Just weeks before the ethics office issued its initial decision, Harrison’s supervisor, Hughie Galbreath, who serves as the senior airport director over parking and ground transportation, issued a “letter of concern” to Harrison. In this letter, Galbreath urged her to improve her management of contracts and operational awareness, warning that failure to do so could negatively impact her performance reviews and job security.
Harrison, who had been with the airport since 2001 and served as the director of ground transportation since 2015, officially resigned on August 13, 2024. She has not commented publicly on her resignation.
