WASHINGTON — President Bush announced Wednesday that he will nominate Marion Blakey to head the Federal Aviation Administration, reports a wire service.
Blakey, 54, has been National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman since September 2001. She is a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a former assistant transportation secretary for public affairs. She also has run her own public relations company.
“This is a critical time for the aviation industry and I am honored by the president’s trust,” Blakey said Wednesday.
If confirmed by the Senate to a five-year term, Blakey would succeed Jane Garvey, whose term expires Aug. 4.
Bush also announced Wednesday that he will nominate Roger Nober to the Surface Transportation Board, which regulates the railroad industry. If confirmed by the Senate, Nober would become chairman. His term would expire Dec. 31, 2005.
Nober has been counselor to Deputy Transportation Secretary Michael Jackson since May 2001. Prior to that, he spent eight years on the staff of the House Transportation Committee.