President Joe Biden announced the nomination of Indian American transport expert Shailen P. Bhatt, as the administrator of the federal highway administration, US department of transportation, last week.
Bhatt has held several leadership positions in the transportation sector both in government and the private sector. Since September 2021, he is senior vice president of global transportation innovation and alternative delivery at AECOM, a global infrastructure consulting firm. Bhatt previously served as the executive director of the Colorado department of transportation, Cabinet secretary of the Delaware department of transportation, and as a presidential appointee at the US department of transportation.
“In these roles, Bhatt spearheaded innovative solutions, collaborations, and partnerships to support the delivery of safe, sustainable, and cost-effective transportation systems for the 21st century,” according to a White House release. He previously worked as the CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, chair of the board of directors for the National Operations Center of Excellence, chair of the executive committee of the I-95 corridor coalition, and was a member of the World Economic Forum’s global agenda council on the future of automotive and personal transport.
Bhatt chairs an external advisory board for the United States department of energy, is a member of the Aurora safety advisory board for autonomous driving, and is the chair of the ITS World Congress board of directors. He graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in economics. If confirmed, he will join several other Indian Americans in key roles in the Biden-Harris administration.
