Sumwalt named NTSB vice chairman
The designation of vice chairman was made in conjunction with the President’s intent to nominate Robert L. Sumwalt for another five-year term as a board member.


National Transportation Safety (NTSB) Board Member Robert L. Sumwalt will again serve as the agency’s vice chairman following his designation as vice chairman by President Donald Trump.
The designation of vice chairman was made in conjunction with the President’s intent to nominate Sumwalt for another five-year term as a board member.
Sumwalt officially assumed the duties of vice chairman Friday as the term of the agency’s current Vice Chairman, Bella Dinh-Zarr, concluded Wednesday. Dinh-Zarr, who served as the agency’s acting chairman since March 16, will remain at the NTSB, applying her transportation safety expertise in the capacity of a board member.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve our nation as the NTSB’s vice chairman,” said Sumwalt. “I want to thank Christopher Hart for his leadership during his tenure as the NTSB chairman, and Bella Dinh-Zarr for her outstanding work as vice chairman and most recently as acting chairman. Together, they have helped advance transportation safety, making us all safer, while also making NTSB one of the best places to work in government.”
The NTSB has five board members, each nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve five-year terms. By statute, the president designates, with Senate confirmation, a chairman and also designates a board member as vice chairman. The vice chairman and chairman each serve two-year terms. When there is no designated chairman, the vice chairman serves as acting chairman. Board members whose terms expire may remain on the board until their replacement is appointed.
Sumwalt began his tenure with the agency in August 2006 when he was appointed as the 37th member of the NTSB, whereupon President George W. Bush designated him as vice chairman for a two-year term. President Barack Obama reappointed Sumwalt to an additional five-year term as a board member in November 2011.
More Management

OCTA Approves $2 Billion Budget for FY 2026-27, Prioritizing Transit Investments
More than half of the agency’s upcoming spending plan is dedicated to transit as OCTA balances infrastructure investment with fiscal stability.
Read More →
Joshua Schank on Transportation Innovation, Risk, and the Future of Mobility
In this edition of METROspectives, Joshua Schank discusses lessons from launching LA Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation, the challenges of advancing new mobility technologies, and much more.
Read More →
Reinventing Fleet Maintenance with Real-time Visibility and AI
Transit leaders need to know what needs fixing, where to look, who is responsible, when work is completed, and what it costs without having to chase information across disconnected systems.
Read More →
Alstom Acquires Delaware Site to Support Amtrak NextGen Acela Fleet
The company is investing more than $55 million to acquire and improve the property and will employ approximately 100 people at this site once it is operational.
Read More →
SamTrans Sets Priorities for Potential Connect Bay Area Revenue
The board-approved framework allocates future funding to maintaining service, rider improvements, equity initiatives, and infrastructure repairs.
Read More →
Federal Transit Officials Launch MARTA Safety Probe
FTA has given MARTA 15 days to provide records on crime prevention, fare evasion enforcement, and security funding as part of a broader safety investigation.
Read More →
ABA's Ferguson Testifies in Support of BUS Act, National Standards for Bus Operators
The BUSES Act would create a nationwide framework preventing state and local governments from enforcing bus idling restrictions of less than 15 minutes, a threshold consistent with existing Environmental Protection Agency guidance.
Read More →
When Routine Fails: How Public Transit Must Adapt for the World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will test transit agencies’ ability to manage unpredictable travel patterns, making real-time data and operational flexibility critical to moving millions of visitors efficiently.
Read More →
Florida’s JTA Puts Innovation in Motion Ahead of America250
The agency unveiled a commemorative America250 bus during a visit from U.S. DOT's Seval Oz and showcased its autonomous mobility programs.
Read More →
California Selects Team for Nation’s First True High-Speed Rail Track and Systems Contract
The board action follows completion of track installation at the 150-acre southern railhead in Kern County, which will serve as the staging and distribution hub for high-speed track and systems installation.
Read More →