Paul Rinaldi
Paul Rinaldi became the sixth president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association when he began his first term in October 2009. In March 2012, Rinaldi was re-elected by acclamation.Though NATCA’s top two positions are elected separately, Rinaldi and Executive Vice President Trish Gilbert campaigned for their respective positions as a team – a first in NATCA history.
Since taking office in 2009 they have continued to work as a team, along with the National Executive Board, elevating NATCA to new levels of success. NATCA’s team is committed and focused on improving the working relationship between the Union, the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation. Efforts like the Air Traffic Safety Action Program (ATSAP), fatigue mitigation, Professional Standards, and Partnership For Safety are a result of the team’s focus on progress and safety. These processes have led to collaborative decisions on important issues involving airspace, procedures, technology, staffing and training while cementing NATCA’s leadership role and voice in the aviation industry.
Prior to being elected NATCA President, Rinaldi served three years as NATCA’s Executive Vice President, after 16 years as an air traffic controller at Washington-Dulles Tower (IAD). Rinaldi currently holds positions on the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC), the FAA Management Advisory Council (MAC) and at the AFL-CIO 2013 Convention, was elected as a vice president of the labor federation’s Executive Council. Rinaldi also serves on the RTCA Policy Board, the Board of Advisors for the Eno Center for Transportation and as a union representative on the FAA National Labor-Management Forum, a group whose formation was mandated by a presidential executive order to improve labor relations within the federal government.
Rinaldi is a native of Island Park, N.Y. He resides in Manassas, Va., with his wife, Debra. He has two sons, Anthony and Nicholas, and a daughter, Olivia.
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