The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners named Lydia Kennard executive director of the city’s airport department, choosing a seasoned department veteran to oversee Los Angeles International Airport while a planned overhaul faces changes.

Kennard, who served in the top post from March 2000 to November 2003, will return as executive director of Los Angeles World Airports effective Oct. 8. In that role, she will manage operations at LAX, Ontario International, Van Nuys and Palmdale Regional airports.

Kennard replaces Kim Day, who resigned on Sept. 26. Day took over as director of the airport department last November following a lengthy search process. During her short tenure, she managed to push through a controversial $11 billion plan to overhaul LAX. The plan, backed by former L.A. Mayor James Hahn and the former members of the airport commission, was approved by the Los Angeles City Council and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who took office in July after defeating Hahn in the mayoral election, has indicated he will change parts of the LAX plan. In a statement, he said Kennard “brings instant credibility and a steady hand to the management of Los Angeles World Airports.”

Kennard’s appointment was announced at a regular board meeting following a closed session and was not the result of a search process. Before March 2000, Kennard served as the airport department’s deputy executive director for facilities design, engineering and construction and maintenance. Before joining the airport department, she was president and principal-in-charge of KDG Development & Construction Consulting, a Los Angeles-based construction management firm.