U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced that Marie Kennington-Gardiner of Staten Island has been tapped to serve as director of the New York Integration Office, created by the Department last year as part of a coordinated effort to address chronic aviation delays in the New York region.

“With the appointment of our new czar and the aggressive action we’ve taken to date, we are tackling the aviation congestion and delays that grounded passengers and economic opportunities alike in the New York region last year. We’ve picked a leader in Marie with the skills and acumen to address these tough issues directly,” Secretary Peters said.

“Marie brings us a wealth of background and experience in integrating diverse and complex projects. She knows the issues, the constituencies, and has a successful track record of consensus building that will help implement solutions to the congestion issues that face us in the New York-New Jersey region,” Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell said.

In addition to appointing an aviation czar, the Department said that it has acted aggressively to respond to last year’s delays in the New York region, some of the worst on record. This includes implementing temporary hourly limits at JFK and Newark airports to allow for more flights more evenly spread out during the day, a series of rules to protect passengers and a new task force focused on helping airlines and airports do a better job of coordinating with each other and taking care of passengers in the event of lengthy ground delays.

As the newly appointed aviation “czar,” Kennington-Gardiner will coordinate regional airspace issues and all projects and initiatives addressing problems of congestion and delays in New York. A New York native, she most recently served as director of the Lower Manhattan Recovery Office to coordinate federal emergency transit investments following the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Prior FAA experience includes senior management positions in three FAA regions representing the entire East Coast.