Peggy Gilligan became Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety on January 5, 2009 after serving as the Deputy Associate Administrator in that organization for 14 years. She has been in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since 1980.

As Associate Administrator, Ms. Gilligan leads the organization responsible for setting, overseeing, and enforcing safety standards for all parts of the aviation industry - airlines, manufacturers, repair stations, pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers, and any person or product that operates in aviation. These programs have a direct impact on every facet of domestic and international civil aviation safety.

Aviation Safety programs are carried out by a work force of more than 7,000 employees located in Washington headquarters, regional and directorate offices, and more than 125 field offices throughout the world. The organization's annual budget is more than $1 billion.

Since 2001, Ms. Gilligan has served as the government co-chair of the Commercial Aviation Safety Team - a joint industry/government group committed to improving aviation safety by reducing the risk of accidents. The fatal accident rate in US commercial aviation dropped by 65% from 1997 to 2007 -- in part due to the work of this team.

Ms. Gilligan was Chief of Staff at the FAA, serving four Administrators. She also served in the Chief Counsel's office in Washington and as a staff attorney in FAA's Eastern Region in New York. Ms. Gilligan is a 1979 graduate of Boston University School of Law and a 1975 graduate of Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY. She resides in Washington, DC.