Mary Schiavo

Who is Mary Schiavo?

Mary Fackler Schiavo, J.D., is the former Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation, where for six years she withstood pressure from within DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration as she sought to expose and correct problems at the agencies. In 1997, after her stormy tenure at the DOT, Schiavo wrote Flying Blind, Flying Safe, which summed up her numerous concerns about the FAA's systemic flaws.

In 1987 and 1988, Schiavo, then known as Mary Sterling, handled Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act requests as a special assistant to then US Attorney General Dick Thornburgh. From 1989 to 1990, she also served at the United States Department of Labor as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor Management Standards. She also criticized the work of the 9/11 Commission.

Schiavo is interested in air safety, has represented many air-crash survivors, and appeared on investigative programs such as Frontline.