Ms. Randa Hayes assumed the role of the Acting Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) in March 2026, where she supports the Chief Operating Officer in providing executive leadership and direction to the six service units within the ATO. 

Previously, Ms. Hayes served as Vice President of Flight Program Operations (AJF), which administers the FAA Flight Program. AJF is responsible for the safe and efficient execution of a mission set including flight inspection; aviation safety training; research, development, test and evaluation support; and critical event response/transportation. The FAA Flight Program is certificated as a part 135 air operator and a part 145 repair station and is the only major government flight program that elects to operate under civilian regulations. It was one of the first organizations to implement a corporate SMS, incorporating multiple FAA certificates.

Ms. Hayes joined the FAA in 2014 and played key roles in projects such as the consolidation of the legacy flight programs that established AJF and the Boeing 737 MAX ungrounding effort. During her time with the agency, she served as Senior Technical Advisor and Director of Flight Program Administration with AJF and as the acting Executive Director of the Office of Quality, Integration & Executive Services and the Chief of Staff in Aviation Safety.

Prior to joining the FAA, Ms. Hayes was a consultant specializing in regulatory compliance for airlines, 135 certificate holders, and 125 operators. Starting in 2006, she also supported multiple FAA aviation rulemaking committees and legacy FAA flight programs.