RTCA President and NextGen pioneer announces retirement
After logging nearly 10 years in the aviation standards business, Margaret Jenny, president of RTCA, announced her pending retirement in August. RTCA was founded in 1935 as the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics. According to RTCA's website, the private not-for-profit corporation advises the FAA and has helped provide "the foundation for virtually every modern technical advance in aviation."
Jenny has held positions with many renowned aviation entities including ARINC, the MITRE Corporation, and US Airways. She also has served on a number of boards and advisory committees including the National Academy of Sciences, the National Transportation Research Board Committee, the FAA’s Research Engineering and Development Advisory Committee and the NextGen Institute’s Institute Management Council. She is an officer of the Aero Club of Washington Board of Governors, and a member of the Women in Aerospace Board of Directors.
AOPA President Mark Baker, who serves on the NAC, spoke highly of Jenny, saying, “Margaret’s leadership and expertise is applauded by the entire aviation community including stakeholders, airports, communities, policymakers, and manufacturers. Her work with RTCA has addressed some of the industry’s greatest challenges, and we thank her for her dedication to improving our national airspace system.”
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen also had complimentary words for Jenny, calling her work at RTCA foundational for the development and implementation of NextGen. Her work helped turn a massive and complex issue into something clear, measurable, and beneficial to the aviation community and general public.
RTCA’s Board of Directors, which is headed by former AOPA President Craig Fuller, will initiate a search process to identify a successor for Jenny.
