Jane F. Garvey is an American former government transportation and public works official, now a business executive, and the chairman of Meridiam North America. She was the first female Administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration from 1997 to 2002. In May 2018, she was tapped to become the first female chairman of United Continental Holdings.
Biography Early life Garvey (née Famiano) -- daughter of an Air Force colonel—was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 2, 1944, but was raised primarily in western Massachusetts, near Amherst College."Jane F. Garvey," in "The New Team" in "The 44th President" (Barack Obama), November 1, 2015, New York Times, retrieved July 14, 2017White, Ronald D. "Jane Garvey: Delays in the Air, a Struggle on the Ground,", profile and interview (4 web pages), April 30, 2000, Los Angeles Times, retrieved July 15, 2017
Education Garvey (Famiano) earned her B.A. from Mount Saint Mary College (a Catholic women's college in Hooksett, New Hampshire which closed in 1978According to the Westminster College website.) and her master's degree (M.A.T.) in English instruction from Mount Holyoke College in 1969."Alum to be nominated for high-flying post," from "In the News" section, May 9, 1997, The College Street Journal, Vol.10, No.30, Mt. Holyoke College, retrieved July 15, 2017"585 Seniors to Receive Diplomas at MHC's 166th Commencement," press release, May 15, 2003, Mount Holyoke College
At Harvard, she finished a fellowship program developed for public leaders.
Early career Teacher Prior to her government career, Garvey had worked as a teacher specializing in English and history at South Hadley High School. She later taught at her master's degree alma mater, Mount Holyoke College. She also taught at Immaculata High School in Manchester, NH from 1968 to 1970.
Public Works official From teaching, she made what she later described in a 2000 interview as "the biggest quantum leap" of her career: becoming an associate commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, which she described as "quintessentially a male agency".
Her first high-profile government role was as Massachusetts Department of Public Works commissioner from 1988 to 1991, appointed by Gov. Michael Dukakis to oversee the start of the controversial but deeply consequential "Big Dig"—Boston's "Central Artery" underground-highway project, the nation's costliest highway program—a program which the New York Times later described as part of her political "baggage"."Ten O'Clock News; Launching Central Artery project." March 12, 1990, WGBH-TV Media Library & Archives, retrieved July 14, 2017Chase, Katie Johnston, "Building a better system for funding new infrastructure," 12, 2010, Boston Globe, retrieved July 13, 2017"Truckers Laud Massport Choice for New Aviation Director," April 29, 1991, Journal of Commerce, retrieved July 14, 2017Palmer, Thomas C., Jr., "Key congressman hits Artery job, urges temporary halt in funding," January 26, 1996 Boston Globe,
Airport director Her next official role was as director of Boston's Logan International Airport in the early 1990s. Garvey's principal assignments, as Logan Airport executive, were to assure freight and passenger road access to Logan during the "Big Dig" project, supervise the airport's aviation operations and planning, coordinate policies including developing a "second major regional airport", aviation noise rules, and promptly proposed high-speed, inter-city rail links connecting Logan Airport to New York City and northern New England.
U.S. Federal Highway Administration official Starting June 16, 1993, she served four years at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), first as Deputy Administrator—then, starting in February 1997, briefly as Acting Administrator.Garvey, Jane, NHA Administrator, "Statement of Jane F. Garvey, Acting Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, March 22, 1997," U.S. Senate, retrieved July 13, 2017
FAA Administrator Appointment In 1997, Garvey was appointed by President Bill Clinton as the 14th Administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, taking charge in August, 1997 of the 49,000-member agency—in the process becoming several "firsts" for an FAA Administrator: she was the first Administrator appointed to a 5-year term, the first female Administrator, and the first civilian appointed Administrator who was not a licensed pilot (two other non-licensed Administrators were a former U.S. Air Force general and a former Secretary of the Air Force). Her lack of aviation expertise—in aircraft operations, maintenance, and certification, air traffic control, and aviation safety—created some consternation in aviation industry circles.Gurciullo, Brianna, "Scoop: Clinton’s transpo policy advisers," October 28, 2016, Politico, retrieved July 13, 2017Bertorelli, Paul, "Should The FAA Be Run By A Pilot?" February 14, 2017 AVweb retrieved July 14, 2017Wald, Matthew, "Clinton to Go Outside Aviation Circles for New F.A.A. Chief," May 2, 1997 New York Times, retrieved July 14, 2017
Garvey claimed "my own management style is one of meeting and talking to employees.""Allegations of Sexual Harassment at the Federal Aviation Administration," 44–390CC, 1998: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Aviation, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House Of Representatives, One Hundred Fifth Congress, First Session, October 23, 1997, U.S. House Of Representatives, retrieved July 14, 2017
Key issues: 9/11 attacks, flight delays, institutional change Garvey was the FAA Administrator during the September 11, 2001 attacks (terrorists hijacking U.S. airliners for suicide attacks against New York City and Washington, D.C.)."Former FAA chief Garvey is 2017 Pogue Award recipient," Jul 13, 2017, Air Transport World, retrieved July 14, 2017
On the morning of the attacks—shortly after the hijacked planes were learned to have struck their targets—Garvey echoed approval of her subordinates' decision to order all 4,000 aircraft over the United States to land immediately at the nearest airport. The order was quickly underscored by her superior, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta, who was with Vice President Dick Cheney in a bunker under the White House. It was the first-ever emergency grounding of all civilian aircraft flying over the nation.Levin, Alan, Marilyn Adams, and Blake Morrison,"Part I: Terror attacks brought drastic decision: Clear the skies," September 12, 2002, USA Today, retrieved July 16, 2017Farmer, John; John Azzarello, and Miles Kara (staff members of the 9/11 Commission), Opinion Essay: "Real Heroes, Fake Stories," September 13, 2008, New York Times, retrieved July 17, 2017The 9/11 Commission Report transcribed at the Avalon Project, Yale UniversityThe 9/11 Commission Report, revised 26 Aug 2004 staff report, released 12 Sep 2005 , transcribed at the Air University, U.S. Air Force
In December, 2001, in an unusual move, Garvey announced that customary performance bonuses would not be given out to personnel in the FAA, because the September 11th attacks—resulting largely from the failure of aviation security (at that time chiefly the FAA's responsibility) -- had so severely "disrupted the U.S. air transportation industry and the personal lives of people throughout the U.S." that she thought it would not be "appropriate to grant incentive payouts.""Handing Out Rewards," February, 2009, GovExec.com / Government Executive, retrieved July 17, 2017
Garvey generally escaped criticism for the agency's failure to anticipate and prevent the attacks, and received some praise for helping to guide the aviation industry through the radically disruptive aftermath.
Though she arrived at FAA during a period of increasing airline flight delays, and FAA organizational dysfunction, the federal government reaction to the 9/11 events caused federal aviation authorities—including Garvey—to shift their attention to aviation security, instead, throughout most of her time at the FAA. The initial decline in air travel, following the 9/11 events took pressure off the flight-delay issues, but they began to re-emerge as airline traffic gradually rebounded, and were a growing problem by the end of her term.Hilkevitch, Jon (Tribune transportation reporter), "FAA called 'dysfunctional' at hearing," July 17, 2002, Chicago Tribune, retrieved July 14, 2017
Sexual harassment issues Shortly after arriving at the FAA, during a period of intense national political attention to sexual harassment issues in the federal government, Garvey found the FAA (which she later characterized as "male-dominated") embroiled in a sexual harassment controversy. The allegations, chiefly at the FAA's air traffic control facilities in Orange County, California—which controlled the nation's busiest airspace region (Southern California) -- drew Congressional attention. Garvey responded by announcing "Our goal is zero tolerance"—proposing to respond to the issue with various training and accountability measures for staff—and by actively recruiting more women.
Labor relations In 1998, Garvey and her team negotiated a new FAA contract with air traffic controllers that significantly changed the relationship between labor and management in the FAA—reversing the bitterly hostile relationship that developed during the Reagan administration, when union controllers went on strike, and were summarily fired by President Reagan.Associated Press, "Air Controllers Reach Agreement on New Contract With Raise," June 16, 1998, New York Times, retrieved July 17, 2017
The new contract—negotiated with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) president Mike McNally—sought to gradually eliminate 30% of supervisors by attrition, replacing them (initially) with 1% more air traffic controllers (particularly in busy towers), while shifting some of the leftover supervisor pay to the controllers, as raises. Particular attention was given to rewarding controllers with more demanding duties, and those working at busy airports.
Described by the Village Voice as the best contract NATCA ever had, it gave significant salary raises, and enabled fully certified controllers to earn $127,000 a year in the late 1990s—compared to the $31,000-a-year average controller salary under Reagan in 1981.Gammon, Ron, "Trouble in the Air," October 17, 2006, Village Voice, retrieved July 17, 2017
According to the New York Times, the new contract was a first for the federal government by allowing it to offer federal workers some merit-based incentives.
The FAA claimed the new contract would reduce controller errors (which had been on the rise), and would ultimately cut $140 million in costs in the first three years. However, Garvey was criticized by some for making overly generous contract concessions to the controllers' union.
From the contract deal, Garvey and President Clinton become popular with the controllers—particularly after Clinton, in 2000, signed an executive order declaring air traffic service was "an inherently governmental function", implicitly protecting the controllers from privatization.Miller, Leslie, Associated Press, "Battle looms to privatize air traffic," August 23, 2003, Deseret News, Salt Lake City, UT, retrieved July 16, 2017Associated Press, "FAA, air-traffic controllers agree on new contract," August 13, 2009 Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT, retrieved July 16, 2017"NATCA Honors Former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey," May 24, 2010, States News Service, retrieved July 16, 2017