In 1997, Ms. Jane Garvey became the first woman to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration after being appointed to the position by President Bill Clinton. She also was the first Administrator (regardless of gender) to be appointed to a five-year term, which she served from 1997 to 2002.
Prior to her service as Administrator of the FAA, Garvey served as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, Director of Boston’s Logan International Airport, Executive Vice President/Chairwoman of APCO Worldwide’s transportation practice, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works and Executive Director of JP Morgan Securities’ Infrastructure Advisory Group.
As FAA Administrator, Garvey successfully navigated the effects that a predicted Y2K computer malfunction might have on air traffic, though the threat did prove to be overhyped. Just a year and a half later, on September 11, 2001, the United States suffered from a major terrorist attack, wreaking havoc throughout the nation and, specifically, U.S. air traffic.
Garvey made the decision to completely halt air traffic across the country after the second plane collided with the Twin Towers, after which every civilian aircraft in the nation was safely grounded within four hours. Garvey continued to deal with the aftershock of the attacks throughout the remainder of her term. Managing the crisis included reorganizing flight attendant and pilot training programs and introducing new rules and regulations regarding items that were allowed on commercial flights.
Garvey’s accomplishments as FAA Administrator also include the introduction of a risk management approach across the entire aviation community to improve aviation safety and expanding the capacity and capabilities of U.S. air traffic control.
Following Obama’s 2008 election, Garvey was appointed to a panel of experts to advise Obama’s team on transportation issues during the presidential transition. She is currently Chairwoman of the Capital-to-Capital Coalition, working to promote nonstop service between Beijing and Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C. She also serves as Chairwoman of Meridiam North America, a global investor and asset manager, and has served on MITRE’s board of directors since 2004, funding research and development for the Department of Defense, the FAA, the IRS, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, among other U.S. organizations.
Garvey’s résumé boasts numerous awards, including the National Air Transportation Association’s Distinguished Service Award, the National Council of Public-Private Partnerships Leadership Award, the National Award of Excellence from the National Association of State Aviation Officials, the Leadership Award from the American Association of Airport Executives and the Woman of the Year award from both Women in Transportation Seminar and Women in Politics.
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