NTSB's Rosekind nominated for NHTSA post

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 21, 2014) — President Obama has nominated Mark Rosekind, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board since June 2010, to be the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a position open since January when David Strickland stepped down.

Mr. Rosekind, who earned a doctorate in psychology from Yale University, is considered an expert in the field of human fatigue research. During his time at the NTSB, he has led the agency's drive for advocacy goals on substance-impaired driving, rail mass transit and fatigue.

He has published more than 150 scientific, technical, and industry papers and has given hundreds of presentations to operational, general, and scientific audiences, according to his NTSB profile.

Mr. Rosekind's nomination comes at a time when the NTSB is turning serious attention to the causes of tire failure. The board has scheduled a two-day symposium on tire failure Dec. 9-10 in Washington.

Before joining the NTSB, Mr. Rosekind founded Alertness Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in fatigue management and was the company's president and chief scientist. Before that he directed the fatigue countermeasures program at the National Aeronautics & Space Administration's Ames Research Center and was chief of the aviation operations branch in the flight management and human factors division.

He launched his professional career as the director of the Center for Human Sleep Research at Stanford University's Sleep Disorders and Research Center.

David Friedman, NHTSA's deputy administrator, has been running NHTSA since Mr. Strickland's departure.

“We look forward to working with Dr. Rosekind on issues important to our industry,” said Daniel Zielinski, senior vice president of public affairs for the Rubber Manufacturers Association.

AAA Inc. CEO Bob Darbelnet called for swift action on Mr. Rosekind's nomination.

“AAA applauds the nomination of Mark Rosekind to be the next NHSTA administrator," Mr. Darbelnet said. "Mr. Rosekind's experience with and commitment to motorist safety will be a tremendous asset to an agency that faces important questions about breakdowns in the recall process and is tasked with overseeing the emergence of vehicle safety technologies."