Michael Peter Huerta (born November 18, 1956) is an American government official who served as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration from 2013 to 2018.[1][2] He was also acting U.S. secretary of transportation under President Donald Trump for 11 days in 2017 until the Senate confirmed the appointment of Elaine Chao to the position.

Michael Huerta
17th Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
In office
December 6, 2011 – January 6, 2018
Acting: December 6, 2011 – January 7, 2013
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
DeputyVictoria Wassmer (acting)
Daniel Elwell
Preceded byRandy Babbitt
Succeeded byStephen Dickson
United States Secretary of Transportation
Acting
In office
January 20, 2017 – January 31, 2017
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byAnthony Foxx
Succeeded byElaine Chao
Personal details
Born (1956-11-18) November 18, 1956 (age 68)
Riverside, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of California, Riverside (BA)
Princeton University (MPA)

Career

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Huerta received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Riverside and his master's in international relations from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.[citation needed]

Huerta was commissioner of New York City's Department of Ports, International Trade and Commerce from 1986 to 1989[citation needed] before leaving to serve as executive director of the Port of San Francisco until 1993.[citation needed] From 1993 to 1998 he held senior positions at the United States Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., serving under secretaries Federico Peña and Rodney E. Slater during the administration of President Bill Clinton.

Huerta was a managing director with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games,[3] preparing Salt Lake City's transportation outlets for the Olympics, and organizing the logistics for the Olympic flame for its journey from Athens, Greece to Salt Lake City, Utah.

From 2002 to 2009, Huerta was group president of the Transportation Solutions Group at Affiliated Computer Services, a company later acquired by Xerox, specializing in business processes and information technology.[4]

Federal Aviation Administration

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President Obama nominated Huerta as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on January 26, 2010[5][6] and became Deputy Administrator of the FAA five months later.[7]

On December 6, 2011, Huerta became acting administrator of the FAA upon the resignation of Randy Babbitt.[8]

On March 27, 2012, President Barack Obama formally nominated him to serve as the next permanent administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration for a term of five years; the nomination was subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 1, 2013.[9][10]

From January 20 to 31, 2017, Huerta was briefly the acting secretary of transportation.

References

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  1. ^ "Nomination of Michael P. Huerta to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration". www.gpo.gov. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  2. ^ Lynch, Kerry (January 8, 2018). "Dan Elwell Takes Helm of FAA as Huerta Departs".
  3. ^ ""President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts"", December 7, 2009, whitehouse.gov.
  4. ^ "Michael P. Huerta". AeroManual. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  5. ^ Huerta, Michael P. (January 26, 2010). "Nominations Hearing". U.S. Senate Committee On Commerce, Science, & Transportation. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016.
  6. ^ "Testimony of Michael Peter Huerta before the Committee, U.S. Senate, January 26, 2010". Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  7. ^ "Michael P. Huerta, Why He Matters" whorunsgov.com Archived November 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Latino Tapped as FAA Interim Chief". Fox News. December 11, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate | The White House". whitehouse.gov. March 27, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2013 – via National Archives.
  10. ^ "Airlines for America Commends Senate Confirmation of Michael P. Huerta as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration" (Press release). Airlines for America. January 1, 2013. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2013 – via PRNewswire.
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Political offices
Preceded by Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
2011–2018
Acting: 2011–2013
Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Secretary of Transportation
Acting

2017
Succeeded by