J. David Grizzle

Chief Operating Officer, Air Traffic Organization

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J. David Grizzle was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Traffic Organization on April 14, 2011.

As Chief Operating Officer, Grizzle leads the FAA's 35,000 controllers, technicians, engineers and support personnel who are responsible for keeping air traffic moving safely and efficiently.

Previously, Grizzle served as the FAA's Chief Counsel, from June 2009 to April 2011. He led the 300-person legal team responsible for agency regulation, safety enforcement and compliance programs, airport and environmental matters, personnel and labor law.

Before joining the FAA, he was with Continental Airlines and its affiliates for 22 years, retiring in 2008 as the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience. In this role, he led Continental to address persistent deficits in product delivery, improving the total travel experience for Continental's customers.

Prior positions he held at Continental and its affiliates include General Counsel, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Marketing Strategy and Vice President of Legal Affairs.

During a leave of absence from Continental starting in 2004, Grizzle served for 14 months with the U.S. Department of State in Kabul, Afghanistan, as Attaché, Senior Advisor and Coordinator for Transportation and Infrastructure.

In Kabul, he steered the American reconstruction effort in the areas of aviation, roads, power and communications. He advised the U.S. Ambassador and four Afghan ministers and coordinated the efforts of the U.S. Agency for International Development and other multilateral development banks. A major focus of his work was balancing the competing demand for immediate, visible results with the slower and less conspicuous process of developing Afghan human and institutional capacity necessary for sustainable progress.

Grizzle is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He is married to Anne Grizzle, a private family therapist, author and poet. They have three sons.