An Indian-American aviation expert has been appointed to a key position in the national aviation authority of the US, where he will oversee and execute operations in nine different regions nationwide.
Ravi Chaudhary, a former US Air Force officer, was recently named the Executive Director for Regions and Centre Operations at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates and oversees all aspects of American civil aviation.
Chaudhary would be responsible for executing a USD 288 million operating budget and would lead more than 2,100 federal employees in the nine regions.
As second in command to the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regions and Centre Operations (ARC), Chaudhary would be responsible for providing Department of Transportation and FAA - wide services in the areas of operations, safety, policy, corporate and congressional outreach, emergency readiness, facilities management, besides centralised support for the National Aerospace System, said a media release.
Chaudhary, a C-17 pilot, completed 21 years of service at the Air Force District of Washington, Andrews Air Force Base.
He has completed a variety of command, operational, engineering, and senior staff assignments in the Air Force.
He has also served at the Pentagon as speech writer and strategic planner in the Secretary of the Air Force Executive Action Group and Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force Strategic Plans and Programs.
In May last year, US President Barack Obama appointed him on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
He advised the president on executive branch efforts to improve economic and community development, public and private sector collaboration, health, education and veterans' support for the AAPI community.
