The Honorable Nicole R. Nason was confirmed as the 26th Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Nason was nominated by President Trump on January 3, 2019 as the next FHWA Administrator and in her confirmation testimony, she emphasized that she plans to pay particular attention to increasing road safety in rural areas of the country. The U.S. Senate voted 95 to 1 in favor of the confirmation on March 28, 2019.
She will be tasked with overseeing the country’s surface transportation system at a time when parts of the infrastructure network are categorized as substandard, including thousands of bridges across the country that are considered structurally deficient. She also will have a role to play in addressing the rapidly advancing autonomous technology and shoring up the Highway Trust Fund. “My priority is safety on all roads, but we must recognize and address some of the unique safety challenges faced by rural communities,” she explained in her testimony before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW).
Several senators and transportation officials issued statements praising Nason as the appointee, including Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Chairman-EPW Committee. “Nicole Nason will do an excellent job leading the Federal Highway Administration. She will be an important partner as Congress drafts and implements bipartisan highway infrastructure legislation,” Barrasso said.
Ms. Nason is the former National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator (NHTSA); previously served on the Board of Directors of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD); and has vast experience with both the Executive and Legislative branches of the Federal government.
Bio Timeline:
September 1988, Nicole Nason moved to Washington D.C. to attend American University. She then attended law school, and in 1995 shortly after getting her J.D., she got a job with the House Judiciary Committee, then she spent a brief time as a lobbyist for an insurance company.
2000-2002 she went back to the Hill to work for Rep. Porter Goss (R-FL), Chairman-Intelligence Committee, and then got a job in the Congressional Affairs office of the Customs Service.
March 2003, Nason was recruited to be Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs by the Department of Transportation, under Secretary Norm Mineta. Her nomination paperwork was officially transmitted to the Senate in May, she was approved unanimously by the Commerce Committee, and she was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote in July. She worked extensively with Congress and the White House during the surface transportation reauthorization bill negotiations that started in mid-2003 and culminated in the enactment of the SAFETEA-LU (Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: Legacy for Users) Law in August 2005.
January 2006, President Bush nominated Nason to be the Administrator of the NHTSA within the Department of Transportation, and confirmed by the Senate by voice vote on May 26, 2006. In addition to implementing the various safety reforms that were required by SAFETEA-LU, her time at NHTSA also coincided with President Bush’s December 2007 signature of the energy bill that mandated the first increase in Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards since the 1970s.
By April 2008, Nason issued the CAFE Rule.
August 2008 – June 2017, she left her NHTSA job to take time off to raise her three small children and to teach martial arts. In 2010, she and her family left the D.C. area and relocated to Connecticut for her husband David’s (also a graduate of American U) major job with General Electric.
June 2017, she returned to DC as a Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
December 2017, Nason was appointed as Assistant Secretary of State for Administration by President Trump.
January 3, 2019, Nason was nominated by President Trump as the next Administrator of the FHWA.
March 28, 2019, Nason was confirmed by the U.S. Senate—voted 95 to 1—as the 26th Administrator of the FHWA
LINKS:
Transcripts:
Nason’s confirmation hearing for the Asst Sec DOT job: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-108shrg88517/pdf/CHRG-108shrg88517.pdf
Nason’s hearing for the NHTSA Administrator job: https://www.congress.gov/109/chrg/shrg28476/CHRG-109shrg28476.pdf
Online Articles:
Roads & Bridges: “Senate confirms Nicole Nason to lead FHWA”: https://www.roadsbridges.com/senate-confirms-nicole-nason-lead-fhwa
Roads & Bridges: “Still in a lot of danger”: https://www.roadsbridges.com/still-lot-danger
Transports Topics News: “Senate Confirms Nason to Lead FHWA”, please go to: https://www.ttnews.com/articles/senate-confirms-nason-lead-fhwa
CNBC: “Thousands of US bridges are ‘structurally deficient’ as pace of repair slows to lowest point in five years, industry group says”: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/29/thousands-of-us-bridges-in-poor-condition-as-pace-of-repair-slows-report.html
Traffic & Transit: “Automated Vehicles”—Welcome to the Automated Vehicles channel: https://www.trafficandtransit.com/automated-vehicles