Marion Blakey

Marion Blakey

Marion Clifton Blakey (born March 26, 1948) is president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace Industries Association. The Aerospace Industries Association represents the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military, and business aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, space systems, aircraft engines, missiles, homeland and cybersecurity systems, material, and related components, equipment, services, and information technology. Blakey became the eighth full-time chief executive of the association in 2007. Before this, she served a five-year term as the 15th Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. Blakey was the second woman to hold the position, serving as a successor to Jane Garvey, the first woman to hold the Administrator title. She is the second Administrator who was not a licensed pilot.

As FAA administrator, Blakey regulated the nation’s airways as well as operated the world's largest air traffic control system managing 44,000 employees and a $14 billion budget. During her tenure, the traveling public experienced the safest period for air travel in United States' history. She also was a tireless safety advocate internationally. Blakey instituted solid business practices at the agency that resulted in more than 97 percent of the agency's major programs coming in on time and on budget. Under her leadership, she launched NextGen − the shift to a satellite-based system that will modernize air transportation and decrease delays.