Meet our speaker

Up to 14 July 2023, Mr. Barks was the Director of Global Strategy and Mission Support in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of International Affairs in Washington, DC. He was responsible for leading the development of a data-informed, agency-wide strategy and measurable business plan targets for FAA global engagement. Prior to this, Mr. Barks was the Manager for ICAO and Global Affairs, leading the team that coordinated U.S. Government positions on ICAO matters and overseeing a Crisis Response Working Group that addressed risk to airlines in conflict zones. In this capacity, he participated in the Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART), contributing to the development of guidance to the aviation industry to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Barks served as the Director of the FAA’s Western Hemisphere region. Based in the U.S. Embassy in Panama, he led FAA Senior Representatives in Miami, Panama, and Brazil and a staff in Washington D.C. to coordinate all FAA international activities with partners in the Americas and the Caribbean.

Prior to joining the Western Hemisphere office, Mr. Barks served from 2008-2011 as the FAA Senior Representative in Brussels, responsible for FAA relationships with EU Institutions and agencies, and with Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. From 2005-2008, he was the FAA Senior Representative to Northern Europe, based at the U.S. Embassy in London. Mr. Barks joined the FAA in 1997, holding positions in the Office of International Aviation and in the Flight Standards Service. Mr. Barks received a Master of Arts in German and European Studies from Georgetown University in 1997 and Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Relations and German Studies from the University of Minnesota in 1993. He is fluent in Spanish (having lived for 17 years in Latin America), German, and has basic knowledge of Portuguese and French. He was invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2010.