As his administration prepares to leave office, President George W. Bush on Tuesday announced that he intends to designate Lynne A. Osmus, of Virginia, to be acting administrator of the FAA, effective Jan. 16. The choice was revealed without fanfare near the end of a long list of new designees and appointments to a range of councils and boards. Osmus will replace Robert Sturgell, who has been acting administrator since September 2007. Efforts to confirm Sturgell’s appointment languished in the Senate last year, and Sturgell said he would step down before the Obama administration took office. The appointment of Osmus essentially “keeps the seat warm,” AOPA spokesman Chris Dancy told AVweb. “It ensures that there is someone accountable at the top of the organization. President-elect Obama is still expected to name a new administrator, and that person, assuming Senate confirmation, will be appointed to the full five-year term.” Osmus has been with the FAA since 1979, and is currently the assistant administrator for security.
She led the FAA’s post-9/11 security response and served as chief of staff under former Administrator Jane Garvey.
