Dr. Karlin Toner
Dr. Karlin Toner is the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO). As Director of the JPDO, Dr. Toner manages an interagency initiative charged with facilitating and coordinating the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Dr. Toner also serves as the Senior Staff Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation for NextGen, a role she has held since January 2009.
Dr. Toner has 20 years of experience with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). From August 2006 to December 2008, she served as Director of the Airspace Systems Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Prior to this, Dr. Toner held several key positions in aerospace and aeronautical planning and research while working at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. From July 2005 to August 2006, Dr. Toner was the Associate Director for Aeronautics, charged with developing long-range technical and resource plans for aeronautical projects. Prior to that assignment, she established and managed the Aerospace Operations Modeling Branch. This organization provided a focal point for the modeling and simulation of air traffic operations within NASA.
Dr. Toner was a lecturer in the Aerospace Engineering Department at San Jose State University from 1991 to 1994. Her technical publications include papers on aircraft aerodynamics and design, computational physics, and the analysis of air traffic systems. Dr. Toner earned a NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 2011, Dr. Toner received the University of Florida's Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Toner holds doctoral and master's degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida, along with an honorary doctoral degree in Science and a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.