Karlin Toner

Dr. Karlin Toner is the Senior Advisor for Data Policy Integration at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Aviation Policy and Plans. She champions digital transformation by developing people, processes and products at the enterprise level. From 2014 to 2021, Dr. Toner served as the Director, Global Strategy where she provided direction on FAA’s engagement with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ensure a unified U.S. presence for standards setting at ICAO Headquarters as well as regional implementation. Dr. Toner provided executive leadership in planning, directing and coordinating the FAA’s international strategy and for assessing risks and developing mitigations for threats to civil aviation outside the United States. Dr. Toner served as the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) from 2010 to 2014. As the JPDO Director, Dr. Toner oversaw an interagency initiative charged with coordinating aerospace planning and policies for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). She served concurrently as an advisor to the Secretary of Transportation for NextGen coordination, a role she held since 2009. Prior to joining the FAA, Dr. Toner held various roles with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) including serving as Director of the Airspace Systems Program at NASA Headquarters from 2006 to 2008. Earlier, Dr. Toner held key positions in aerospace planning and research at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. Her work there included developing long-range technical and resources plans as the Associate Director for Aeronautics from 2005 to 2006. While at NASA, she was also a lecturer in the Aerospace Engineering Department at San Jose State University for four years. Dr. Toner holds doctoral and master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida, along with an honorary doctoral degree in Science and a bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2011, she received the University of Florida’s Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She earned a NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, is a recipient of the Robert J. Collier Trophy and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.