JACKSONVILLE, FL. September 28, 2021 – Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. will serve as Chair of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Executive Committee, part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, for 2022.
Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academies of Science and chair of the National Research Council, appointed Ford to serve as chair, along with Vice Chair Shawn Wilson, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Their terms will begin in January 2022 during the 101st TRB Annual Meeting.
“TRB is very pleased that Nat Ford will become the next chair of the TRB Executive Committee,” said TRB Executive Director Neil Pedersen. “He is a respected national leader in transportation who is always looking for innovative ways to deliver better transportation service to the public.”
“I am honored for the opportunity to lead this incredible Executive Committee over the next year alongside Secretary Wilson,” said Ford. “I will continue the long legacy of TRB chairs who have led by example in advocating for the greater transportation and logistics industries, by advancing scientific research, and by elevating data-driven solutions to help us solve the issues and challenges we all face.”
TRB is a program unit of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. The National Academies operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.
The TRB Executive Committee is composed of approximately 25 members, appointed by the chair of the National Research Council. These members are selected to provide balanced representation of transportation modes, academic disciplines, private and public sectors, levels of government, geographical regions, and other relevant factors. The committee provides strategic direction and oversight for all of TRB’s programs and activities.
The mission of TRB is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. Its annual meeting provides an opportunity for transportation professionals from all over the world to exchange information of common interest. Typically, more than 14,000 policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions attend the TRB Annual Meeting. The 101st annual meeting will be held from Jan. 9 to 13, 2022. The meeting program will cover all transportation modes, and the spotlight theme is Innovating an Equitable, Resilient, Sustainable, and Safe Transportation System.
OFFICIAL HEADSHOT: https://brandfolder.com/s/b9cxmbsvg8bwg6kxrrx76z7x