Michael Huerta
Board Member since 2023
Michael Huerta, founder and president of MPH Consulting, is former administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a MITRE Trustee. Drawing on his decades of leadership in the public and private sectors, he has led initiatives to advance the nation’s transportation systems and improve safety and efficiency through the application of technology. He also served as interim Secretary of Transportation, succeeded by Elaine Chao.
Huerta sits on the boards of Delta Airlines, the smart transportation company Verra Mobility, and Joby Aviation, a company developing quiet, all-electric aircraft.
Huerta was acting administrator at the FAA in 2013 when President Barrack Obama tapped him to lead the agency. During his tenure there, the FAA redefined its regulatory relationship with the aviation industry and achieved key milestones in its NextGen air traffic modernization mission through improved collaboration and data sharing. He also laid the groundwork for integrating uncrewed aircraft and commercial space operators into the national airspace.
Prior to his FAA role, Huerta led the Transportation Solutions Group at Affiliated Computer Services, a company later acquired by Xerox. He was also vice president, marketing and business development at Lockheed Martin IMS, Transportation Systems and Services.
He previously led transportation-consulting firm Cambridge Systematics and served as consultant, director, and managing director of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Huerta was executive director of the Port of San Francisco, held senior positions at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and was commissioner of New York City’s Department of Ports, International Trade and Commerce.
Huerta holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Riverside, and an MPA in International Relations from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. He is the first in his family to graduate from college.