Chris Carter has served as the Director of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Asia-Pacific Region, located in Singapore, since June 2021. In this role, Chris provides leadership and promotes US interests advancing civil aviation safety and efficiency in the Asia-Pacific Region. He leads a staff of twenty people located in offices in Beijing, New Delhi and Tokyo as well as Singapore and Washington, DC. His office acts as liaison to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Prior to this appointment, Chris served as the Deputy Executive Director for Strategic Initiatives in the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) of the FAA’s Aviation Safety (AVS) Line of Business. In that role, he oversaw a transformation of AIR that included a complete reorganization of a workforce of 1,300 employees as well as an improvement in the aircraft certification process. He also collaborated with industry stakeholders, international regulators and across AVS to more fully integrate the certification and operational aspects of an aircraft lifecycle. Chris joined the FAA in 2004 as a manager in the Aircraft Engineering Division. Prior to joining the FAA, Chris spent 18 years in the aviation industry, starting as an aircraft technician in the UK. After earning his engineering degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), he worked as an engineer and a Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for several years. He has held various management positions in the aircraft modification and interior completions sector of the industry where he managed programs; negotiated supplier agreements and oversaw regulatory and safety compliance. Chris also holds an MBA from Webster University and a Professional Engineers License.