Alrene Richards Barr, Director of International Affairs at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

A True Friend of the Atlanta Consular Corps

By: Cynthia L. Blandford and Simeon Nunnally

Over the past five years, I have had the honor and pleasure of knowing Jamaican born, Alrene  Richards Barr,  Director of International Affairs at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) where she has worked in honor for over 30 years. She has been a true friend of the Atlanta Consular Corps (ACC) and assists with providing protocol services for Heads-of-State, Ambassadors, Ministers of Government and the ACC.  I have travelled the world and have been in hundreds of airports.  I must say that I have never seen the type of quality professional customer service that ATL provides under Alrene’s leadership to members of the Diplomatic Corp. We are thankful for her service.  

As the Director of International Affairs at ATL, Alrene develops and maintains relationships with prestigious organizations and individuals around the world. Alrene possesses a myriad of responsibilities from being the main point of contact for ATL to the Consular Corp where she assists the traveling safety of diplomats and dignitaries, to volunteering-instructor airport managers in multiple Countries throughout the globe. 

Throughout Alrene’s successful career, she has achieved many distinctions and awards. Her most noticeable award was from the Georgia House of Representatives, (House Resolution 843 https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20172018/170381). She received the Aviation Trailblazer Award from the Airports Authority of Jamaica, the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, the Aeronautical Telecommunications Limited and Atlanta Tribune’s 2018 Women of Excellence in the State of Georgia.  Alrene is quoted saying “My commitment to service and helping others has always been of greater importance to fulfill and enrich my life over simply getting a paycheck.”

Alrene credits a lot of her success to her mentor, the late Honorable Vin N. Martin, Honorary Consul of Jamaica in Atlanta. Alrene refers to her mentor as the “Epitome of the term servant leader and a person whose example I am humbled to follow.” 

Alrene lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two beautiful children who she is a shining example for. Alrene is not only a beacon of hope for her family but, also many young women across the world.