Marion Blakey has been selected as the recipient of the 2013 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. Established in 1948 by the National Aeronautic Association to honor the memory of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the trophy is awarded annually to a living American for “significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States.”
Since 2007, Blakey has served as president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, the voice of the aerospace and defense industry. Before that, she served a five-year term as administrator of the FAA.
Prior to being named FAA administrator, Blakey served as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Including her service at the FAA and NTSB, Blakey has held six presidential appointments, four of which required Senate confirmation. She served as administrator of the U.S. Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and held key positions at the Department of Commerce, the Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the White House, and the Department of Transportation.
NAA Chairman Walter Boyne, a member of the Selection Committee, praised the choice.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the selection of Marion Blakey for the Wright Trophy,” Boyne said. “She has been a public servant of the highest order and one of the leading advocates of our nation’s aerospace industry.”
“The long list of recipients of this most historic award reflects the diversity of leadership of our nation’s aviation and aerospace industry,” said Jonathan Gaffney, president and CEO of NAA and chairman of the Selection Committee. “Over its 65-year history, the Wright Trophy has been awarded to industrialists, explorers, innovators, and public servants. Marion Blakey has joined a remarkable group of Americans.”
Blakey will receive the award at the Wright Memorial Dinner, hosted by the Aero Club of Washington, on Friday, Dec. 13.
For more information: NAA.aero.