News

WAC Adds October 11 Luncheon; Will Host FAA Acting Administrator Huerta

September 27, 2012 2:43pm

There’s a very tight interval between the Wichita Aero Club’s September luncheon, which featured IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger on Thursday, the 27th, and the next luncheon, scheduled for October 11 at which Michael P. Huerta, the Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, will address the organization. In order to accommodate Mr. Huerta’s schedule, the WAC added the luncheon to its schedule and has pushed the starting time back to 12:30 PM.

Huerta, who assumed his current interim role on December 5, 2011, is expected to be confirmed as the FAA Administrator shortly. In his current role he is responsible for the safety and efficiency of the largest aerospace system in the world. He oversees a $15.9 billion dollar budget, over 47,000 employees and is focused on ensuring the agency and its employees are the best prepared and trained professionals to meet the growing demands and requirements of the industry. Huerta also oversees the FAA’s multi-billion dollar NextGen air traffic control modernization program as the United States shifts from ground-based radar to state-of-the-art satellite technology.

Huerta was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the FAA’s Deputy Administrator on June 23, 2010. He is an experienced transportation official who has held key positions across the country. His reputation for managing complex transportation challenges led him to the international stage when Huerta was tapped as a Managing Director of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The Olympics drew 2,400 athletes from 78 countries to Salt Lake City. Huerta was critical 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 insured the transportation system operated safely and efficiently.

Before joining the FAA, Huerta held senior positions at Affiliated Computer Services from 2002-2009 rising to the position of President of the Transportation Solutions Group; ACS is now a Xerox company specializing in business processes and information technology.

Huerta was commissioner of New York City’s Department of Ports, International Trade and Commerce from 1986-89. He then served as the Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco from 1989-1993. From 1993-98, he held senior positions in the U.S. Transportation Department in Washington, D.C., serving under Secretary Federico Pena and Secretary Rodney E. Slater.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California-Riverside and a master’s in international relations from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.

For more information or to reserve a spot at the upcoming luncheon, members, guests and interested parties (regardless of membership in the Aero Club) can visit the WAC website at www.wichitaaeroclub.org or call 316.681.4471. Seats are $40 for non-members and $30 for members and their guests.

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