Six New, High-Powered FAA Management Advisory Council Members

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Management Advisory Council (MAC) got six new appointees yesterday. The MAC counsels FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey and senior agency leadership on management, policy, spending and regulatory matters.

"These appointments represent a collection of aviation all-stars for the FAA to draw upon," said DoT Secretary Mineta. "These individuals are highly respected within aviation and can offer the insight and innovative ideas to help us shape a safer and more efficient airspace system for the 21st Century."

The MAC will help the FAA achieve its goal of becoming a performance-based organization, a goal recommended in 1997 by the National Civil Aviation Review Commission, which Secretary Mineta chaired.

The new members appointed to the MAC are:  Angela Gittens, Miami International Airport director; Alan R. Mulally, The Boeing Co. executive vice president and president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes; David Neeleman, JetBlue Airways Corp. CEO; Robert L. Crandall, American Airlines retired chief executive officer (CEO) and president; Paul E. Schoelhammer, retired partner/director of government affairs at Zuckert, Scoutt and Rasenberger, LLP; and Jim Smith, Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport executive director and Peninsula Airport Commission member.

"The FAA is fortunate to have such a strong, deep source of aviation experience to guide us toward a more performance-based organization," said Blakey. "The MAC will be reviewing our work to meet the quarterly targets of the FAA's new strategic plan and helping us develop an ever safer next-generation aviation system."

Created by the Department of Transportation's aviation reauthorization act of 1996, the MAC meets quarterly to assess and advise the FAA on the agency's performance. The panel members serve in a volunteer capacity and retain their private sector positions. The new appointments join incumbent MAC members: Ed Bolen, General Aviation Manufacturers Association president and MAC chairman; Randy Babbitt, Eclat Consulting senior partner; and Geoff Crowley, Air Wisconsin president and CEO.

Gittens has held several airport executive positions prior to joining Miami International Airport.   Previously, she was vice president of TBI Airport Management, a company that manages airport facilities under contract. In 1997 she served with Secretary Mineta as a member of the National Civil Aviation Review Commission. Gittens began her aviation career as deputy director for business and finance at San Francisco International Airport and earned a bachelor's degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Mulally became president of Boeing Group commercial airplanes in 1998 and chief executive officer for the business unit in 2001. He was named president of Boeing Information, Space and Defense Systems and senior vice president of The Boeing Co. in 1997. Previously, Mulally was senior vice president of airplane development for the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group beginning in 1994.  Mulally joined Boeing in 1969. He holds bachelor of science and master of science degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Kansas, and earned a master's in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Neeleman formed JetBlue in 1999 and has an extensive career in the airline industry dating back to 1984 when he co-founded a low-fare carrier called Morris Air. As President of Morris Air, Neeleman implemented the industry's first electronic ticketing system and pioneered a home reservation system that is now the foundation of JetBlue's unique call center - all calls to JetBlue's reservation number are handled by reservationists working at home.

Crandall retired from American Airlines in 1998 with 25 years of service. He was named president of American in 1980, and in 1985 was given the additional titles of chairman and CEO of American and its parent company, AMR Corp. Crandall currently serves on a number of corporate boards and consults with a variety of smaller companies. President Bush recently announced his intent to nominate Crandall to serve on the Amtrak Reform Board. A native of Westerly (RI), Crandall holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Before working for Zuckert, Scoutt and Rasenberger, from which he is now retired, Schoellhamer was vice president of planning and development for Lockheed Martin, IMS, from 1995 to 1997. He was chief of staff for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Public Works and Transportation from 1993 to 1995. He has also served as vice president of government affairs for two airlines. In 1981, he joined the professional staff of the House transportation panel's aviation subcommittee. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1970.

Before he began his work in 1992 with the Newport News/Williamsburg Airport and the Peninsula Airport Commission, Smith was director of the FAA's office for airport capacity and a presidential appointee to the Civil Aeronautics Board. He has previously served in airport management positions in Sarasota (FL), Portland (OR), Columbia (SC), and Norfolk (VA). Smith earned a bachelor's degree from Auburn University and a master's degree from the University of South Carolina.

FMI: www.faa.gov