Marion Blakey Speaks Up For Those Who Choose A Career In Public Service

Marion C. Blakey, President and CEO, AIA, was presented with the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy on December 13, 2013 to commemorate her significant and lasting leadership in aviation. The trophy represents the highest honor in aviation to be presented annually to a living person by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) at the Washington Aero Club's annual dinner.

Ms. Blakey joins a long list of prestigious honorees including famous aviators, space pioneers, government officials and celebrities.

"I am humbled tremendously by this award, by your presence, and by your comments. I want to thank the National Aeronautics Association for this great honor, the Washington Aero Club for hosting this wonderful event, and our terrific sponsors – all of whom have made this evening possible," Blakey said in accepting the award. "Frankly, the trophy should be inscribed with the word “We,” because it recognizes not just me, but the work of teams of colleagues and mentors that I have had the privilege of working with over the course of my career. And, there are far too many of you for me to recognize individually this evening – so let me simply just say, thank you. Indeed, the foundation of a good career in Washington is often proximity to independent, creative minds and talents.

"Recipients of the Wright Trophy all have been united by a love of aviation expressed through a variety of experiences and career paths – test pilots, astronauts, engineers, business executives, political leaders, and much more," Blakey said.

Blakey recounted her career in public service, from her first job as "a GS-3 clerk" to administrator of the FAA, and said "I worry that today when it comes to public service Teddy Roosevelt’s arena is becoming a gated community with ever-rising walls – barriers that too often repel talented citizens from serving their country, a community whose residents often do not get the respect they are owed.

"I know what attracted many of you to aerospace and defense was the sense of mission and daring that pervades so much of the enterprise. Where else can people work on projects that extend the torch of exploration to heights unknown and into frontiers unseen? Now with sharply reduced investment funding it will be more difficult to inspire the brightest young people to work in a business sector critical to America’s security, prosperity and freedom.

"Today those who defend our homeland, manage our skies, and explore the heavens are dealing with sharply reduced resources even as the world becomes ever more competitive and turbulent. Now more than ever our government agencies need strong management, innovative thinking, and strategic direction. Yet, I’m afraid we are shrinking the talent pool from which the next (Norm) Augustine or Acheson might arise.

"So it’s time to speak up on behalf of public service – for those who choose to make it a lifelong vocation, for those who want to enter, exit, and possibly return again," she said. "There are regulatory and legislative fixes – to include rolling back some of the more obtuse conflict-of-interest rules and other compliance measures that simply don’t pass the common sense test. But above all, as a nation, we must return to an ethos that treats public service as a noble calling; an attitude that expects – and assumes – the very best from the citizens who step forward."

FMI: www.aia-aerospace.org