NATCA Leadership

This is Joel Ortiz’s third term as Western Pacific (NWP) Regional Vice President. He was first elected to this position in 2018. Ortiz was born and raised in Corona, Calif. Upon graduating high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving from 1995 until he was honorably discharged in 2003. After leaving the Marine Corps, Ortiz was hired as a DoD air traffic controller. He worked as a GS-2152 until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hired him in 2006 at High Desert TRACON (E10), which is now known as Joshua Control Facility (JCF). After becoming a certified professional controller (CPC) at JCF in 2007, Ortiz ran for and was elected as the NATCA local secretary. In December 2012, Ortiz became a CPC in the Los Angeles Arrivals Area at Southern California TRACON (SCT). He served as the alternate area representative until he ran for and was elected SCT local vice president in 2014. In 2016, he was elected SCT president and served in that capacity until July of 2018. Ortiz and his wife, Adriana, have four children; Taylor, Lily, Joel Jr., and Dominic.