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Hersman tapped for 3rd term as NTSB chairman

President Obama moves to reappoint Deborah Hersman to continue leading the National Transportation Safety Board. Christopher Hart, who has been serving as vice chairman, is also nominated for another term on the board.

Thomas McMahon
Thomas McMahonExecutive Editor
August 13, 2013
Hersman tapped for 3rd term as NTSB chairman

President Obama nominated Deborah Hersman to serve another five-year term on the National Transportation Safety Board and another two-year term as chairman.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama recently moved to reappoint two key leaders of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Obama nominated Deborah Hersman to serve another five-year term on the board and another two-year term as chairman. This would be her third stint as NTSB chairman.

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Hersman was first appointed as an NTSB member by President George W. Bush in 2004. Previously, she was a senior advisor to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Obama also recently nominated Christopher Hart to serve another five-year term as an NTSB member.

Hart has been serving as vice chairman of the agency since 2009. He has an extensive background in transportation safety, having held such roles as deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and deputy director for air traffic safety oversight at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Hart discussed school bus crash investigations at last year's National Association for Pupil Transportation Summit.

The nominations were sent to the Senate for confirmation.

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Hersman received unanimous Senate confirmation votes, in 2009 and 2011, for her previous two terms as chairman.


Other recent news related to the NTSB:

NTSB to hold back-to-school safety event
NTSB: Proper lap belt use could have lessened injuries in bus crash

Topics:NTSBSafety

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