Senior FAA executive Christopher J. Rocheleau has been named the National Business Aviation Association‘s new chief operating officer, overseeing activities relating to aircraft and flight department operations, as well as the administrative, financial, and human resources functions.
Rocheleau will join NBAA in June, succeeding Steve Brown, who is retiring later this year after 18 years at NBAA, and an aviation career spanning several decades, according to NBAA officials.
“It would be impossible to overstate Steve’s contributions to NBAA and aviation,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “He represents all the very best our industry and country has to offer. He has had a profound impact on aviation in the United States and around the world, and we wish him well.”
Brown joined NBAA in October 2004 as senior vice president of operations before being named COO in 2010.
Rocheleau has served at the FAA for more than 20 years in multiple roles, including acting associate administrator for aviation safety, chief of staff, assistant administrator for policy, international affairs and environment, executive director for international affairs, and director of the office of emergency operations and investigations.
Before joining the FAA, Rocheleau served as an officer and special agent with the United States Air Force, retiring from the USAF Reserve in 2010 as a lieutenant colonel. He was also among the first leaders of the Transportation Security Administration.