NHTSA Appoints New Deputy Administrator, Still No Department Head
Last week, we discussed how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had some staffing gaps that needed shoring up. While it remains shy one administrative head, the White House saw fit to officially appoint a new deputy administrator — effectively replacing acting deputy administrator Jack Danielson’s interim leadership.
Danielson has served as the NHTSA’s executive director since 2015, but spent the last eight months filling in for an absent department figurehead. He’s being relieved by Heidi King, an economist with the federal government and experience in the private-sector.
Hoping to gain some clarity about the decision to place a new deputy ahead of a chief administrator, Automotive News reached out to Jack Gillis, director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America. “It could be a sign that the Department of Transportation intends to run NHTSA from the secretary’s office rather than as a safety agency,” said Gillis.
Like other consumer groups, the Consumer Federation of America has been following the slow implementation of departmental heads in numerous regulatory agencies — worried that, without leadership, government mandates will stall.
According to her LinkedIn profile, King has been working at the NHTSA since September. However, the agency hasn’t updated its key staff pages in quite some time. It also didn’t officially announce a new deputy administrator.
King served as the global director of environment, health and safety risk for GE Capital until December. Perviously, she served as chief economist for the House Energy and Commerce Committee — which provides oversight of the NHTSA’s fuel economy and safety initiatives.
[Image: U.S. Department of Transportation]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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That's okay, we're pretty safe now. Any more investment into the NHTSA will only offer diminishing returns at this point.
Why have an Administrator and Deputy Administrator? Seems like you could easily combine the roles. Looks like that's what may be going on.