Carey Terasaki

Carey Terasaki, J.D. (Class of 1973): Carey Terasaki has had the good fortune of two rewarding careers, the first in the aerospace industry and the second in federal government service. An engineering graduate of the University of Southern California, he served as an Engineer/Scientist for the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, helping to design transport airplanes.

In 1984, Southwestern University School of Law awarded him a John J. Schumacher scholarship; he completed Southwestern’s Conceptual Approach to Legal Education program in the requisite two years. Terasaki was hired by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1987 and was fortunate to complete his career there as a staff attorney and manager.

At the FAA, he became a recognized expert in administrative law, rulemaking and civil penalty enforcement, with special emphases on aircraft maintenance and aircraft airworthiness issues. He represented the FAA in several capacities, including as counsel for the agency’s Europe, Africa & Middle East Area Office in Brussels, and as Deputy Regional Counsel in Los Angeles.

Carey Terasaki retired in 2016.