John Etherington – Quality Assurance Support Manager – March 30, 2022

John Etherington joined the FAA as an air traffic controller in April 1988.  After completing the program at the Academy, he arrived at Chicago Center in July 1988 and was assigned to the Southwest Area.  The Burlington, Bradford, PLANO, Ottumwa, and Streator sectors still exist in name and similar definition.  Other sectors at that time were Fairfield, Hanna City and Vorin (now known as Lowli).  John certified as a Full Performance Level controller in August 1993.  From July 1995 to late 2001, John served as a support specialist in the Quality Assurance and Airspace and Procedures offices, interspersed with two temporary details as an Operational Supervisor.  In November 2001, John was permanently promoted to the Operational Supervisor position, where he served until his promotion as an Operational Manager in October 2009.  With the exception of a short assignment as the acting Air Traffic Manager from September 2018 to February 2019, John has served as a support manager since November 2011, leading the Plans and Requirements office and now concurrently, the Quality Assurance Office.

What this timeline does not reveal is John’s tireless commitment to excellence.  Regardless of his assigned position, John has strived to continually work toward improving the services provided by Chicago Center, but also to ensure those at Chicago Center are equipped with the necessary equipment, tools and resources.  He stands ready to assist wherever needed, approaching challenges with optimism and creative solutions.  John’s leadership is clearly guided by strong values, such as loyalty, perseverance, humility, compassion, contribution, flexibility, generosity, and genuineness.