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Obama announces nominees to head two DOT agencies

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama Thursday announced his nominees to fill to key positions within the Department of Transportation.

Obama revealed his intention to nominate Victor M. Mendez as administrator of the Federal Highway Administration and Peter H. Appel as administrator of the DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration.

Mendez was a member of former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano’s cabinet as the director of the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Napolitano served two terms as governor of Arizona from 2003-2009 and is now in Obama’s cabinet as Secretary of Homeland Security.

The White House, in making the announcement, said Mendez has extensive experience in transportation, including innovations in the areas of funding and financing, technology, infrastructure, research, planning and internal operations.

Mendez has served as a past president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and in 2008 he was selected as Leader of the Year in Public Policy in Transportation by the Arizona Capitol Times.

Previously, Mendez was selected as the deputy state engineer to lead the implementation of the Phoenix area’s multi-billion dollar freeway system.

The White House said Appel is a principal with the global management consulting firm of A.T. Kearney Inc and has led business improvement initiatives for clients in the private and public sectors with a focus on transportation and infrastructure.

Appel has over 20 years of experience in transportation, and has supported organizations in the railroad, trucking, airline, and ocean shipping industries with growth strategy, supply chain improvement, post-merger integration, public-private partnerships and other key business and policy issues, the White House said.

Previously, Appel served as the special assistant to the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and as assistant director for pricing and yield management at Amtrak.

“At this critical time for our nation, I am grateful that these individuals will join my team as we take on the challenges American families are facing today,” Obama said in a prepared statement. “I know that their skill, dedication and commitment to serving the American people will help us move our agenda for the future forward.”

Obama has yet to announce a nominee for the position of administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at [email protected] .