Mary E. Peters has received Senate confirmation to follow Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation. The position has been open since Mineta resigned in July.
Peters was sworn in as the 15th Federal Highway Administrator in October 2001. Prior to that she was the director of the Arizona Department of Transportation. Since last November she has been the national director for transportation policy and consulting in the Phoenix office of HDR Inc., an architectural, engineering and consulting firm headquartered in Omaha.
Peters shows understanding of the critical state of the nation's transportation infrastructure. The Secretary of Transportation's responsibilities not only cover highways, but railroads, aviation and shipping among other areas.
In the past, Peters has advocated increased spending for highways and sees improvements in highway safety coming from the use of new technologies —she has served on the board of directors for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America.
