Charles Leader

Mr. Leader is the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO). He was appointed on August 7, 2006, by the former FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey.

As Director of the JPDO, Mr. Leader is responsible for an interagency office tasked with developing and coordinating implementation of a national plan to improve the capacity and levels of safety, security, and environmental compatibility of the National Airspace System.  The initiative, known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), is being developed with the support and resources of the FAA, NASA, the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Transportation, and Commerce, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. These government departments and agencies are partnered with more than 200 industry stakeholders. NextGen lays out a technology and policy strategy to deliver an advanced air transportation system harmonized for global interoperability.

Mr. Leader is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Harvard Business School. Over the past fifteen years, Mr. Leader has held CEO and president positions in both publicly traded and privately owned companies in the aerospace and information technology sectors. He was a partner at McKinsey & Company, an international consultancy, and coleader of their Aerospace/Defense practice.  Mr. Leader’s experience includes working in technology development, systems integration, and the realignment of complex organizations.