Roosevelt Mercer Jr.

Retired Maj. Gen. Roosevelt Mercer Jr., SES, is the director of the Interagency Planning Office (IPO)[1] for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) at the Federal Aviation Administration[2] where he provides high-level leadership for interagency and international collaboration related to NextGen. He executes the collaborative processes needed to ensure efficient coordination among all federal partners whose decisions impact NextGen. The federal partner agencies include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Commerce (DOC), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), National Science Foundation (NSF), and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as an ex officio participant. Mr. Mercer is charged with providing executive direction to a dynamic multi-agency and international partnering organization focused on future NextGen technology, policy, and collaborative activities.

Roosevelt Mercer Jr.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1975–2008
Rank	Major General
Commands held	81st Training Wing 30th Space Wing 447 Strategic Missile Squadron 381 SMW Logistics Group Commander Commander, 45 Logistics Group Commander, 91 Operations Group Commander, 30th Space Wing Commander, 81st Training Wing Commandant, Joint Forces Staff College Commander, Air Force Element USSTRATCOM
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal(2) Legion of Merit(2) Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal(5) Air Force Commendation Medal

Prior to joining the FAA in April 2016, Mercer had a successful career in the private sector since 2007. As the vice president and director of government, commercial and international initiatives for Geospatial Systems, a division of ITT Exelis, Mercer was responsible for government / industry partnerships and international initiatives worldwide.

Prior to joining ITT Exelis, Mercer served in the United States Air Force (USAF) for over 32 years (retired January 1, 2008), most recently as director of plans and policy for U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base (AFB)[3] in Nebraska. He was responsible for the development and implementation of national security policy, military strategy, space and weapons employment concepts and policy, as well as joint doctrine as they applied to the command and execution of its missions. Mercer was also responsible for the development of the nation's strategic war plan, strategic support plans for theater combatant commanders, and contingency planning for the Global Strike mission.

Mercer has held command seven times from the squadron to the wing level. Among his many USAF assignments, he served as commander of 447th Strategic Missile Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota; commander of 45th Logistics Group, Patrick AFB, Florida; as commander of 30th Space Wing, Vandenberg AFB, California; commander of 81st Training Wing, Biloxi, MS; commander of 91st Operations Group, Minot, N.D.; as vice director of plans, U.S. Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado; deputy director of operations, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB; and as the commandant of Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, Virginia; commander of Air Force Element, United States Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Nebraska.

Mercer entered the U.S. Air Force as a 1975 distinguished graduate of the University of Puget Sound's ROTC program. His educational credentials include a Bachelor of Arts degree in urban planning from the University of Puget Sound, Master of Science in counseling from the University of Oklahoma, post-graduate Executive Programs at Syracuse University, National Defense University, and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, as well as a concentrated Executive Financial Development Program at the Wharton School of Business.

Mercer is the vice chairman of the board for the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska; chairman of the Military Advisory Board of Directors for Bellevue University, Bellevue, Nebraska; a member of the board of trustees for the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York; and a member of the National Association of Governing Boards.

Prior to assuming his current position, Mercer was the director of combat and information operations, Global Operations Directorate, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB.