Distinguished Public Service Award

NATA Recognizes Outstanding Public Service To The Industry

NATA’s Distinguished Public Service Award is a special honor awarded by its Board of Directors and members—recognizing outstanding public service and contributions to the industry.

2025 Winner | Chris Rocheleau, FAA Deputy Administrator

For someone who has spent his professional life straddling the line between the public and private sectors, one factor has remained constant for Chris Rocheleau: service—to country and to aviation.

Currently the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Rocheleau is in his second stint at the FAA, with previous senior roles with the U.S. Air Force, National Business Aviation Association, and Transportation Security Administration.

For this tireless devotion to the nation’s aviation system and industry, Rocheleau has been named the winner of the 2025 NATA Distinguished Public Service Award, a special honor awarded by NATA’s Board of Directors and members that recognizes “outstanding public service and contributions to the industry.”

“Well, it was really surprising and humbling,” he said about learning of the award. “Those are the two words that keep coming to mind. But it certainly means a lot to me. You don’t do this kind of work for the awards, but when someone taps you on the shoulder and says, ‘Let me shake your hand and thank you for your work,’ it means a lot.”

Current Recipient

2025 – Chris Rocheleau, Federal Aviation Administration Deputy Administrator

Past Recipients

2024 – Lirio Liu, former FAA Executive Director, Aircraft Certification Service
2023 – Congressman Sam Graves, Missouri – District 6, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman
2023 – Congressman Rick Larsen, Washington – District 2, Ranking Member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
2019 – Dorenda Baker, former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Executive Director of the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR)
2018 – Dr. Gerald Dillingham, former U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Director of Civil Aviation Issues
2017 – Michael Huerta, former FAA Administrator
2017 – Peggy Gilligan, former FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety
2017- Eddie Angeles, former FAA Associate Administrator for Airports