WASHINGTON — President Trump will nominate Heidi R. King, deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the past eight months, to be the agency's administrator, according to whitehouse.gov.
An economist and research scientist, Ms. King spent three years with General Electric Co. as global director of environmental risk before joining NHTSA in September 2017.
NHTSA has been without a permanent administrator since Mark Rosekind departed just before Mr. Trump's inauguration in January 2017. Ms. King's appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
Prior to joining GE, she held research and strategy positions at Telcordia Technologies and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and was a regulatory policy analyst at the Office of Management and Budget from 1998 to 2000 and again from 2007 to 2011.
She has been a California park ranger and a volunteer emergency medical technic. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California-Irvine and her graduate degree from the California Institute of Technology.
The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), which urged the president last September to expedite the nomination for a new NHTSA administrator, praised the choice of Ms. King for the agency's top job.
“Ms. King's demonstrated commitment to research, innovation and public safety throughout her career positions her well for strong leadership at NHTSA,” the USTMA said.
“The U.S. tire manufacturing industry looks forward to working with her to advance our shared mission of driver safety.”