Caitlin Locke is the Executive Director of the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR). In this role, she oversees type certification, production approval, airworthiness certification, and continued airworthiness of the U.S. civil aircraft fleet, including commercial and general aviation activities. She manages more than 1,400 FAA employees, 35 field offices across the U.S., and two international offices located in Belgium and Singapore.

Ms. Locke has held several leadership positions. Prior to her current position, Caitlin served as the Director of the Compliance and Airworthiness Division in AIR. As the director, she oversaw the daily operation of a nearly 600-employee organization, and a portfolio of projects leading to the certification and validation of aircrafts, while ensuring that policy is consistently interpreted and applied throughout the division. Under her leadership, the division managed flight testing and flight safety operations for AIR.

She served as the acting deputy executive director of the Flight Standards Service in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Aviation Safety. In this capacity, she oversaw the day-to-day operation of a 5,000-employee service with responsibility for the development, coordination, and execution of policies, standards, systems, and procedures; public rules, regulations, and standards; and program plans that govern the operations, maintenance, and airworthiness of all U.S. civil aircraft. Ms. Locke also had oversight of an $860M budget and a contract portfolio for $60M in support services.

Caitlin served as the Flight Standards Service chief of staff where she provided advice and counsel to the executive and the deputy executive directors of the Flight Standards Service, as well as to key organization officials, on the establishment of aviation safety policy, management oversight, and coordination of operations and programs. After serving as the Flight Standards chief of staff, Ms. Locke was detailed to the Office of Rulemaking, as the acting deputy executive director; she was responsible for budgets, contracts, human capital, training, IT systems, and infrastructure.

She also served as a senior technical and international advisor, where she represented the associate and deputy associate administrator of Aviation Safety in the management, direction, and evaluation of activities that supported the Office of Aviation Safety’s goals and objectives. In addition, Ms. Locke has served as a foreign affairs specialist in the Flight Standards Service International Programs and Policy Division; the Office of International Affairs, Global Affairs Branch; and the Aircraft Certification Service International Policy Office.