Susan McDermott

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs

As part of the Secretary's aviation leadership team, Ms. McDermott is at the center of the Department's key priorities and programs in domestic and international aviation.

Ms. McDermott has had a long career in aviation. Prior to her current post, she was the Assistant Director for Negotiations for the Office of International Aviation at the Department. She was a senior advisor to the Secretary of Transportation on international aviation matters and served as the primary lead Department of Transportation negotiator for bilateral negotiations with foreign governments.

Before joining the policy staff in the Office of Aviation and International Affairs, Ms. McDermott held the position of Counsel in the Office of International Law for the Department of Transportation.

Background

Prior to her years at DOT, Ms. McDermott served as the Special Assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board. A key component of her role was to implement domestic airline deregulation, including the sunset of the Board, which was achieved on December 31, 1984.

The genesis of this long experience in aviation began with Ms. McDermott's appointment as Counsel to the Antitrust Subcommittee and later the full Judiciary Committee of the United States Senate. At that time, the path breaking debate on deregulating U.S. domestic aviation was taking place in the U.S. Congress. The high point of her tenure with the Judiciary Committee was the passage of the Airline Deregulation act of 1978.

A native of New York City, Ms. McDermott is a graduate of Columbia University and the Antioch School of Law.