Dr. WILSON N. FELDER

Dr. Wilson N. Felder currently serves as Director of the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, NJ. The Technical Center is one of the world's leading engineering, research, development, and testing facilities for nearly every aspect of aviation. It is known for its world-class laboratories and high fidelity test facilities for aviation research. Here, the air traffic control automation, communications, navigation and surveillance systems needed to modernize the National airspace System are tested and evaluated for deployment, and research is conducted in airport, aircraft, fire safety and aviation security. He also serves as the executive sponsor for the National Center of Excellence in Aviation Operations Research. Prior to his current assignment, Dr. Felder led the FAA Air Traffic Organization's Office of Technology Development, where he was responsible for field demonstration of advanced technologies including ADS-B, System Wide Information Management, and Runway Incursion Reduction concepts. Between 2001 and 2003, Dr. Felder served as Special Assistant to the Director of the Terminal Business Service, FAA. In this capacity, he was a key participant in a program to restructure the agency with the goal of introducing business-like management practices to its air traffic operations. He served as a member of the Air Traffic Organization design team, and as a senior internal consultant to the Terminal Business Service during the establishment of this, the first Business Unit of the newly redesigned FAA.

Prior to joining the FAA, Dr. Felder was employed by TRW, inc, where he retired, after 23 years of service, as Vice President, Aviation Services. At TRW, he led the company's engineering services business with the FAA and the aviation community, a unit which generated $90M in revenue annually, and which he was substantially responsible for developing. Between 1990 and 1998, he managed a variety of engineering services projects, before being named to the Aviation Services assignment. Earlier, he led an engineering Department and served as a senior staff engineer. He was an active leader of the employee charity organization, academic fellowship program, and management training program. He received awards for Affirmative Action Program excellence, and support to the Small Business development program.

A certificated Private Pilot, Dr. Felder has long been active in the aviation community. In 2004 he was named as an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and was re-elected to the Board of the Institute in 2005. He has held leadership positions in the Government Electronics Industries Association and the Air Traffic Control Association. He was a member of the FAA Administrator's Research, Engineering, and Development Advisory Committee, and is a graduate of the TRW Business Leader Program, and the George Washington University School of Business Executive Development program. He is an MIT Seminar XXI Fellow. He was a member of the FAA's Advanced Automation System Recovery Team, and received the Air Traffic Systems Development Director's Award in recognition for his service to the Agency in this work. Dr. Felder served for 24 years as an active and reserve Naval Officer, retiring from the active reserve with the rank of Commander (Special Duty, Intelligence), after having served as the Intelligence Officer for the Carrier Group 4 reserve unit, and as Executive Officer of Naval Air Station Keflavik RU 0166. He is a former District Commissioner of the Potomac District, Boy Scouts of America; a former member of the Vestry of All Saints Episcopal Church, Chevy Chase parish, and a former member of the board of the West Point Parents Club of MD/DC/VA.

Dr. Felder graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in Geology in 1968. He later earned MA (1973) and PhD (1978) degrees from that same institution, with a concentration in Environmental Science.

He resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife Laura. His son Will is an Infantry officer in the U.S. 10th Mountain Division and is currently stationed at Ft. Benning, GA; his daughter Julia attends Wheaton College, in Norton, MA.