Phillip A. Washington is on President Joe Biden’s list of nominated key leaders for his administration. According to the White House’s June 22 announcement, Washington is on track to becoming the Federal Aviation Administration Administrator (FAA) Administrator.
If Washington is selected, he will become the first Black permanent administrator of the FAA.
The position has been vacant since March after the former administrator Steve Dickson quit halfway into the five-year term. The role is temporarily occupied by Billy Nolen, who is also Black.
According to the announcement, Washington was nominated by Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. And judging from his resume, Washington is qualified to be a part of the Biden administration.
The White House announcement read that Washington’s current position is with the Denver International Airport, where he is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Before working for the Denver International Airport, he was the CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), where he oversaw a budget of over $8 million and managed 11,000 employees that “transported 1.2 million boarding passengers daily on a fleet of 2,300 clean-air buses and six rail lines.”
He also worked for the Denver Regional Transportation District for ten years as the Assistant General Manager before they named him CEO.
Washington isn’t a stranger to the Biden-Harris administration since he led their Transpiration Department transition team and co-chaired their Infrastructure Policy Committee, according to the Philadelphia Tribune.
Washington’s nomination comes while airlines deal with the headache of increased traveling this summer following the COVID lockdown. Many flights were canceled over the summer due to staffing shortages and bad weather. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that of the 580,290 domestic flights in April 2022, 13,397 (2.3%) were canceled. In March 2022, 590,542 scheduled domestic flights, and 9,108 (1.5%) were canceled.
The 24-year Army veteran retired from his Command Sergeant Major position. The disabled veteran was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, a prestigious award.
