WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Lynne A. Osmus today announced several key personnel changes in the agency’s aviation safety organization.
Peggy Gilligan was named the new associate administrator for aviation safety. Gilligan has served as deputy assistant administrator for aviation safety since July 1995. Previously, she was chief of staff for four FAA administrators, served in the chief counsel’s office, and was an attorney in the FAA’s Eastern Region in New York. Gilligan has been the government co-chair for the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) since July 2001 and has played a vital role in working to reduce the commercial accident rate to a historic low. She also provided support to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s Rapid Response Team on aircraft safety following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Recommendations from that team led to rules that hardened cockpit doors, as well as operational changes to enhance aviation security.
John Hickey, director of FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service since 2000, will replace Gilligan as deputy assistant administrator for aviation safety.
Other changes include :
- Dorenda Baker, deputy director of the Aircraft Certification Service, replaces Hickey as director.
- Kalene (KC) Yanamura, deputy regional administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Northwest Mountain Region, becomes the new deputy director for the Aircraft Certification Service.
- John Allen moves from deputy director to director of the Flight Standards Service.
- John McGraw, manager of the FAA’s Flight Technologies and Procedures Division, becomes the new deputy director for flight standards policy.
- Doug Dalbey, flight standards division manager for FAA’S Western Pacific Region, becomes deputy director for field operations for the Flight Standards Service.
- Tina Amereihn has been named director of the Office of Quality, Integration and Executive Services after serving as deputy director.
- Hooper Harris, manager of accident investigation, is serving temporarily as acting director of the Office of Accident Investigation.
The FAA’s Aviation Safety organization promotes aviation safety and oversees compliance with Federal regulations as applied to airmen, manufacturers, repair and maintenance facilities, aviation schools, operators, aviation agencies, individuals and organizations. It is composed of the Flight Standards Service; Aircraft Certification Service; Office of Aerospace Medicine; Office of Rulemaking; Office of Accident Investigation; Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service; and the Office of Quality, Integration, and Executive Services. With a budget of $1 billion, the organization employs 6,800 people in the FAA’s Washington headquarters, nine regional offices, and more than 125 field offices throughout the world.
