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Biography
Jay Merkle became the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Director of System Integration and Requirements Analysis, AJM-1, in the Program Management Organization (PMO) for the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) in April 2015. In this role, he leads the PMO in developing effective, timely, and innovative solutions to evolving business needs.
The PMO directorate’s focus areas are program control, cross-cutting analysis and integration, and special initiatives. Additionally, the PMO strengthens the relationships of Mission Support Services, Aviation Safety, and the NextGen organizations among other programs to ensure value for the operation and promised NextGen benefits for airspace users.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Merkle was Manager of Systems Integration for Portfolio Management and Technology Development within the NextGen organization. He has more than 25 years of engineering and program management experience in both the defense industry and the FAA.
Early in his career, Mr. Merkle was an engineer working in cockpit and crew station design on several aircraft, including the C-17 large transport aircraft. Since joining the FAA, he has held positions as the Lead Engineer for tower, terminal, and en route automation systems, the Chief System Engineer for En Route and Terminal Domains, and he also served as the Chief Architect for NextGen at the Joint Planning and Development Office
Mr. Merkle holds a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
