Leading candidate emerges for DOT secretary spot

Deborah Hersman

As reported last week, the departure of Ray LaHood as the Secretary of Transportation in President Barack Obama’s cabinet left a vacancy in the top spot in the U.S. Department of Transportation and question marks as to who would be his successor.

Overdrive sister site CCJ cites a report from the Wall Street Journal this week saying that Deborah Hersman — the director of the National Transportation Safety Board — is the leading candidate to replace LaHood, say WSJ sources.

Hersman is a Democrat and was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2004 to head NTSB. She was recently reappointed by President Barack Obama. Hersman worked on congressional staffs for members of both parties. The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent, bi-partisan group that researches and reports on aviation and highway safety.

The White House nor the NTSB have commented on the rumors.