Kristen G. Burnham

Director, Portfolio Management Division, Joint Planning and Development
Office for the Next Generation Air Transportation System
FAA

Kris Burnham is the Director of Portfolio Management for the Joint Planning and Development Office.  This interagency federal office is overseeing the transformation of the U.S. air transportation system, preparing it for the challenges of 2025.    The goal is a system that will support future passenger demand while improving safety, security, affordability, and environmental impacts, as well as harmonizing operations with international partners.  This long-term, complex undertaking requires solid planning, strong relationships with JPDO’s partner agencies (FAA, NASA, DOD, DHS, and Commerce) and private sector stakeholders, as well as dependable sources of funding.  Ms. Burnham is actively involved in each of these areas as she works to build a robust portfolio management capability.  Ms. Burnham joined JPDO in July 2006 with sixteen years of Washington experience, most of it at the nexus of engineering, finance, and transportation policy.  She has evaluated multi-modal transportation programs for the Government Accountability Office and, within the FAA, served as a regulatory economist, led investment analysis teams to support major acquisitions, and managed part of FAA’s budget office.  Ms. Burnham is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and the University of Washington.