Michael Huerta

Michael Peter Huerta (born November 18, 1956) was the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States of America.[1] He was sworn into office on January 7, 2013, for a five-year term ending on January 6, 2018.[2] He was responsible for the safety and efficiency of the largest aerospace system in the world and oversaw a $15.9 billion budget and more than 47,000 employees. He was also an acting Secretary of Transportation.

Michael Huerta
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
In office December 6, 2011 – January 6, 2018 Acting: December 6, 2011 – January 7, 2013
President	Barack Obama Donald Trump
Deputy	Victoria Wassmer (acting) Daniel Elwell
Preceded by	Randy Babbitt
Succeeded by	Stephen Dickson
Acting United States Secretary of Transportation
In office January 20, 2017 – January 31, 2017
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Anthony Foxx
Succeeded by	Elaine Chao
Personal details
Born	(1956-11-18) November 18, 1956 Riverside, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of California, Riverside (BA) Princeton University (MPA)

Career

He received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Riverside and his master's in international relations from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

Huerta was commissioner of New York City's Department of Ports, International Trade and Commerce from 1986 to 1989. In January 1989, he left to serve as the executive director of the Port of San Francisco until 1993. From 1993 to 1998 he held senior positions at the United States Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., serving under Secretaries Federico Peña and Rodney E. Slater during the Administration of President Bill Clinton.

Huerta worked as a Managing Director with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games,[3] preparing Salt Lake City's transportation outlets for the Olympics. Huerta was involved in the planning and construction of a variety of Olympic transportation facilities, as well as the development of a highly successful travel demand management system that made sure that the transportation system operated safely and efficiently. Huerta organized the logistics for the Olympic flame for its journey from Athens, Greece to Salt Lake City, Utah.

From 2002 to 2009, Huerta was Group President of the Transportation Solutions Group at Affiliated Computer Services, a company later acquired by Xerox, specializing in business processes and information technology.[4]

Federal Aviation Administration

President Obama nominated Huerta as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). On January 26, 2010, Huerta appeared before Congress[5] for his confirmation hearing,[6] but his Congressional confirmation was held up by Texas Senator John Cornyn over fighter drones patrolling the Mexico–United States border near Corpus Christi.[7] Huerta waited over five months for his congressional confirmation; on June 23, 2010, he became Deputy Administrator of the FAA.

On 6 December 2011, Huerta became Acting Administrator of the FAA upon Administrator Randy Babbitt's resignation due to a DUI charge,[8] which later turned out to be invalid. As Acting Administrator, Huerta helped oversee the operation of the National Airspace System and a $16 billion budget.

On March 27, 2012, President Barack Obama formally nominated him to serve as the next permanent Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration for a term of five years; the nomination was subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 1, 2013.[9][10]

In June 2014, Huerta was named one of 8 Most Influential People in Drones by Drone Definition.[11]

References

1. "Nomination of Michael P. Huerta to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration". www.gpo.gov. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
2. Lynch, Kerry (January 8, 2018). "Dan Elwell Takes Helm of FAA as Huerta Departs".
3. "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts" 12/7/09, whitehouse.gov
4. "Michael P. Huerta - AeroManual". aeromanual.com. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
5. Nominations Hearing, Mr. Michael P. Huerta, Jan 26 2010
6. "Testimony of Michael Peter Huerta before the Committee, U.S. Senate, January 26, 2010". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
7. "Michael P. Huerta, Why He Matters" whorunsgov.com Archived November 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
8. "Latino Tapped as FAA Interim Chief". 11 December 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
9. "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate | The White House". Whitehouse.gov. 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
10. "Airlines for America Commends Senate Confirmation of Michael P. Huerta as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration - Yahoo! News". News.yahoo.com. 2013-01-01. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
11. "8 Most Influential People in Drones - Drone Definition". 27 April 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2018.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Political offices
Preceded by Randy Babbitt	Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 2011–2018 Acting: 2011–2013	Succeeded by Daniel Elwell Acting
Preceded by Anthony Foxx	United States Secretary of Transportation Acting 2017	Succeeded by Elaine Chao