Reported by Carolina Worrell for Railway Age.
President Joe Biden on March 14 announced his intention to nominate Jennifer Lynn Homendy for Chair and Member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The nomination is for a second five-year term as a Member expiring Dec. 31, 2029. Her first term expires Dec. 31. 2024. Her separate Chair nomination is for a three-year term.
Homendy is the 15th Chair of NTSB, an independent agency (from Executive Branch) now at full five-member strength with members serving five-year terms. She is the fourth woman to serve as Chair since the agency was created in 1967. As Chair, she is the agency’s Chief Executive, managing an annual budget of $140 million and more than 440 full-time employees across the country. She has also served as NTSB’s 44th Board Member since 2018.
“Homendy has presided over numerous public meetings to deliberate and finalize NTSB investigations in all modes of transportation, provided expert testimony at the federal and state levels on a wide range of transportation safety issues, and launched with the NTSB ‘Go Team’ on myriad investigations. She is a staunch advocate for improving safety across all modes of transportation,” the White House stated in a release announcing her nomination.
If not confirmed to a five-year second term in 2024, Homendy may remain in office indefinitely, under the NTSB statue, until a successor is nominated and confirmed by the Senate. If confirmed, Homendy’s second term would expire Dec. 31, 2029.
Other NTSB members include:
Republican Michael E. Graham, a professional engineer with an aviation safety background. He is serving a first term expiring Dec. 31, 2025.
Democrat Thomas B. Chapman, formerly legislative counsel to the Senate Aviation and Space Subcommittee, who continues to serve in a first term that expired Dec. 31, 2023.
Democrat Alvin Brown, a former mayor of Jacksonville, Fla., and Clinton-Gore transition team member who also held senior Department of Transportation and Department of Commerce senior staff positions. He is serving a first term expiring Dec. 31, 2026.
Republican J. Todd Inman, with an insurance industry background and experience as a fire safety and first responder instructor. He was a chief of staff to former DOT Secretary Elaine Chao and is serving a first term expiring Dec. 31, 2027.
From 2004 to 2018, Homendy served as the Staff Director of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to that, she held positions with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, American Iron and Steel Institute, and National Federation of Independent Business.
Homendy is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and is pursuing a Master of Transportation Safety Administration degree at the Institute for Global Road Safety and Security at Clemson University. She is a native of Plainville, Conn., and currently resides in Fredericksburg, Va., with her husband, their daughter, and two dogs.
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