Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced this week that Robin Hutcheson will lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for at least the foreseeable future.
Buttigieg’s appointment of Hutcheson to deputy and acting administrator marks the agency’s fifth leader in the last five years. She succeeds Meera Joshi, who stepped down this month to become a deputy mayor of New York City.
Hutcheson has been at FMCSA for a year as deputy assistant secretary for safety policy. She led the COVID-19 response and recovery, and DOT noted that she also helped develop the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was passed into law last fall.
Prior she served as director of public works for the City of Minneapolis, transportation director for the Salt Lake City Corporation, as a transit consultant in Utah, and a transit planner in the United Kingdom and in Europe.
She is the former president of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). She resigned from the NACTO board in early 2021 to join the DOT.
“Robin’s tenure as board President showed just how impactful an exceptional leader can be,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, NACTO Chair, in a statement released by the organization at the time. “Robin’s compassionate voice and strategic thinking provided critical support for thousands of city and transit agency staff in Minneapolis and across North America during an extraordinarily challenging year. Robin proved that progress is possible under the most trying of circumstances; leadership that she now brings to the whole country.”
Hutcheson service with the organization was marked by her ability to channel broad issues into discrete actions, added Corinne Kisner, NACTO Executive Director.
“Faced with too-high and increasing traffic deaths, Robin prioritized safety above all else. Robin updated every speed limit in her city, a bold and forward-thinking decision that is saving lives every day. While Robin will be sorely missed in the NACTO network, we know that the Biden-Harris administration recognizes good talent when they see it, and we are enthusiastic for Robin’s road ahead as a partner to cities on the federal stage,” she said at the time.
Hutcheson takes over as FMCSA prepares to fully implement its Entry-Level Driver Training regulation for commercial drivers while also addressing the national shortage of truck and bus drivers.
Reprinted with permission from School Transportation News. Read the original post.
