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John P. Benison is the Assistant Administrator, Office of Civil Rights. As Assistant Administrator, Mr. Benison is responsible for assuring full, affirmative implementation of civil rights, equal opportunity, and diversity precepts within the FAA for over 47,000 employees and recipients of federal assistance. Mr. Benison is the principal advisor to the Administrator concerning civil rights, equal opportunity, and diversity matters. As the FAA Equal Opportunity Officer, Mr. Benison directs the civil rights, equal opportunity, and diversity program consistent with the Department of Transportation Office of Civil Rights, The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Commission, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Departments of Labor and Justice policies.

Mr. Benison has been a Federal Equal Employment Opportunity leader since 1999. Prior to joining the FAA, Mr. Benison served as Director of the Office of Departmental Equal Employment Opportunity (ODEEO) with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Mr. Benison's position at HUD was represented by his entrance into the Senior Executive Service (SES). As the DODEEO at HUD, John advised, assisted, and represented the HUD Secretary and Deputy Secretary on all EEO and diversity and inclusion matters. Prior to that, Mr. Benison served as the Associate Director of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Departmental Office of Civil Rights (DOCR). In this capacity, he oversaw the Department's work on civil rights policy and education initiatives. Over the course of his distinguished career, Mr. Benison served as the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National People with Disabilities Program Manager, Director of the National Model EEO Program Organization at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Senior Advisor to the Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Acting Director of the Office of Civil Rights in DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). As a leader in the Federal EEO arena, Mr. Benison substantially increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities at the EPA, DOT and across the Federal government.

In 2015, Mr. Benison had the privilege of briefing President Obama on recommended reforms to the Senior Executive Service (SES). Mr. Benison was a member of a White House Advisory Group that developed an Executive Order on reforming the SES. Mr. Benison considers his briefing of former President Obama to be his greatest professional accomplishment. In 2006, Mr. Benison received a Secretary of Transportation Team Award "for successfully responding to a White House request to establish a mass evacuation plan in time for the 2006 hurricane season." In 2002, Mr. Benison received the Suzanne E. Olive National Honor Award from EPA "for excellence in achieving the agency's diversity goals." Additionally, Mr. Benison has received numerous special achievement awards for individual acts of excellence and sustained superior performance.

Mr. Benison's accomplishments outside of work include successfully completing 9 marathons, serving as a member of The George Washington University Board of Trustees and volunteering with several community organizations. Mr. Benison resides in Washington, DC and is a proud father to his daughter Sadie.