Lirio Liu is the Executive Director of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Aircraft Certification Service, where she is responsible for type certification, production approval, airworthiness certification, and continued airworthiness of the U.S. civil aircraft fleet - including commercial and general aviation activities. She oversees a professional workforce of more than 1,400 employees working in FAA Headquarters in Washington, DC, 35 field offices across the U.S., and two international offices located in Belgium and Singapore.

 

Prior to being named AIR’s Executive Director, Ms. Liu was the Executive Director for the Office for International Affairs, where she provided executive leadership and guidance in the development of international policy across the various disciplines of the FAA and was responsible for the FAA's international offices in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

 

Lirio has also served as the Executive Director for Operational Safety in the Commercial Space Transportation Office where she provided executive leadership for the compliance and coordination of the requirements to authorize commercial space launch and reentry operators and site approvals.

 

She has also served in a variety of executive leadership roles within the Office of Aviation Safety. As the Executive Director for Rulemaking, she provided oversight for the FAA's rulemaking process and served as the Designated Federal Officer for the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee where she collaborated with industry, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and other international civil authorities, such as the European Aviation Safety Authority and Transport Canada, in an effort to harmonize regulations. She also served in roles as the Special Technical Assistant to the Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety and to the Director of Aircraft Certification Service. 

 

Lirio provided horizontal integration across the FAA lines of business when working as the Deputy Regional Administrator for the Western-Pacific Region. She worked with external stakeholders to address community concerns, and acted as the FAA Congressional Liaison, working closely with local state government and elected officials. Lirio also served as the FAA Senior Representative located in Paris, France, where she represented the FAA for 18 countries in Western Europe and North Africa on overarching policy issues. 

 

Lirio began her FAA career in the Los Angeles Aircraft Certification Office as a structural engineer working on type certification and supplemental type certification programs for rotorcraft, large transport, and small airplanes. Lirio then worked as the Manager of the Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, which was responsible for the type certification and continued operational safety of the Boeing aircraft fleet.

 

Ms. Liu holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Master of Science in Aviation and Aerospace Sustainability from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Lirio is a member of Tau Beta Pi (National Engineering Honor Society) and Sigma Gamma Tau (National Aerospace Engineering Honor Society).