Christopher Hart confirmed as NTSB chairman
With the Senate confirmation, Hart officially takes the helm of the National Transportation Safety Board after serving as acting chair since Deborah Hersman’s departure.
The Senate confirmed Christopher Hart to officially take the helm of the National Transportation Safety Board for a two-year term.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Christopher Hart has been confirmed for a two-year term as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Hart on Thursday to take the helm of the federal accident investigation agency. Last year, Hart was nominated by President Obama to succeed Deborah Hersman, who resigned from the NTSB chairman position in April to become president and CEO of the National Safety Council.
Hart previously held the role of vice chairman of NTSB since 2009, and he served as acting chairman after Hersman’s departure.
Hart is a familiar face to many in the school bus community, having given presentations at several industry conferences, including the National Association for Pupil Transportation Summit in Kansas City, Missouri, in November.
Hart recently discussed NTSB’s school bus crash investigations, seat belts on school buses, driver fatigue and other safety issues in an interview with SBF.
Hart has had a long career in transportation safety, including an earlier term as an NTSB member from 1990 to 1993. He has also held leadership positions at the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Also on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Tho Dinh-Zarr to be a member of NTSB. Dinh-Zarr fills the vacancy on the five-member board that was left by Hersman’s departure.
NTSB has one more vacancy to be filled on the board. Mark Rosekind, whose term as an NTSB member ended on Dec. 31, was named administrator of NHTSA.
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