Obama nominates former Kan. DOT secretary for STB

President Barack Obama has nominated former Kansas Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller to the Surface Transportation Board, reportedly replacing George Bush-appointee Francis Mulvey.

Miller, a Democrat, was the Kansas secretary of transportation from 2003 to 2012, making her the first female and longest serving transportation secretary of that state. She was appointed by former Gov. and current Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and then retained by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

Miller is currently a senior associate at Cambridge Systematics, a transportation consultancy firm located in Cambridge, Mass. The company’s clients include the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 44 state transportation agencies, Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern and the Long Island Rail Road.

Before being appointed secretary, Miller was the director of planning and development at KDOT from 1986 to 1997 and was previously a planner at HNTB Infrastructure Solutions.

She graduated magna cum laude from Kansas State University in 1976 with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology.

The STB is an economic regulatory agency that Congress charged with resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers.

The board is authorized to have three members, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, each with a five-year term of office.