Rodney E. Slater
Rodney Slater | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 13thUnited States Secretary of Transportation | |
| In office February 14, 1997 – January 20, 2001 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Federico Peña |
| Succeeded by | Norman Mineta |
| Administrator of theFederal Highway Administration | |
| In office June 3, 1993[1]– February 14, 1997 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Thomas D. Larson |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth R. Wykle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rodney Earl Slater February 23, 1955 Marianna, Arkansas,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Eastern Michigan University(BA) University of Arkansas, Fayetteville(JD) |
Rodney Earl Slater(born February 23, 1955) is an American politician of theDemocratic Partywho served as theUnited States Secretary of Transportationunder PresidentBill Clintonfrom 1997 to 2001. Prior to being appointed to the Clinton Cabinet, Slater served as the administrator of theFederal Highway Administrationfrom 1993 to 1997.
Education[edit]
Slater graduated fromEastern Michigan Universityin 1977, and received hisJuris Doctordegree from theUniversity of Arkansas School of Lawin 1980.[2]
Early career[edit]
Slater became a research assistant to the State Judiciary Committee of the Arkansas Constitutional Convention in 1979–80, an assistant attorney general for the state of Arkansas in 1980. He was appointed to several state government positions in Arkansas byBill Clinton.Positions included assistant to the governor between 1983 and 1987, and member of the Arkansas State Highway Commission between 1987 and 1993.[3]Slater was also the director of governmental affairs forArkansas State Universityduring that time.[4]
Appointment to federal positions[edit]
After Clinton was elected president, 1993 Slater became the firstAfrican-AmericanDirector of theFederal Highway Administration.[2]
In 1997, Slater was appointed to be theSecretary of Transportation.He was thesecond African Americanto hold that post.[2]
Projects[edit]
Slater was able to muster bipartisan support in congress for his projects including:
- Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century(TEA-21), making a record $200 billion investment in surface transportation.
- Wendell H. FordAviation Investment Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21), which provides a record $46 billion to provide safety and security of the nation's aviation system
- Negotiated of 40Open skies agreementswith other countries[citation needed]
Private sector[edit]
Slater is part of a group of investors headed byStan Kastenthat successfully purchased theMajor League Baseballteam, theWashington Nationals.[5]
Slater is a partner at theWashington, D.C.law firmofSquire Patton Boggs,where he is head of the transportation practice and works on projects related to the transportation infrastructure.[6]He is also a partner in James Lee Witt Associates, arisk managementfirm headed by formerFederal Emergency Management AgencydirectorJames Lee Witt.
He serves on the board of directors ofAfricare,a nonprofit providing development aid to countries in Africa, and The Dance Theater ofHarlem,[citation needed]and is the chair of the Board of Trustees ofUnited Way.Slater also serves on the corporate board ofVerizon.He served on the board ofNorthwest Airlines,continuing on withDelta Air Linesafter their merger in 2008.[7]He has been appointed to join the board ofWS Atkinsas a non-executive director effective 9 September 2011.
As of December 3, 2014 Slater was appointed to serve as special counsel toTakata Corporationin support of Takata's dealings on the 2013 airbag recall issues they are facing. They will advise the Company as they address the current challenges Takata faces.[8]He also led a safety advisory panel forToyotaand served as independent monitor forFiat Chrysler Automobiles.[6]
Personal life[edit]
Slater is married to Cassandra Wilkins, daughter of Arkansas state legislatorsHenry Wilkins IIIandJosetta Wilkins.[9][10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byday/fhbd0603.htm
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
- ^abc"Rodney E. Slater, Federal Highway Administrator, 1993 - 1997".Federal Highway Administration.Archived fromthe originalon 8 October 2010.Retrieved12 September2010.
- ^"Answers - the Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions".Answers.com.
- ^http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/highwayhistory/road/s45.cfm[bare URL PDF]
- ^Heath, Thomas (21 April 2006)."Lerner Adds Two Investors to Group".Washington Post.Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2012.
- ^ab"Rodney E. Slater | S | Professionals | Squire Patton Boggs".www.squirepattonboggs.com.Retrieved2017-04-14.
- ^"Delta-Northwest combination seen as a game-changer in aviation".
- ^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2017-06-26.Retrieved2014-12-06.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^Slater, Rodney E.; Lunsford, Scott (2011)."Arkansas Memories: Interviews from the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History".The Arkansas Historical Quarterly.70(1): 76.ISSN0004-1823.JSTOR23046538.
- ^Johnson III, Ben F. (2014).Arkansas in Modern America, 1930–1999.University of Arkansas Press.p. 214.ISBN978-1-61075-551-1.
External links[edit]
- Profileat Squire Patton Boggs
- AppearancesonC-SPAN
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1955 births
- 20th-century American politicians
- Administrators of the Federal Highway Administration
- African-American members of the Cabinet of the United States
- Arkansas lawyers
- Arkansas State University faculty
- Clinton administration cabinet members
- Delta Air Lines people
- Eastern Michigan University alumni
- Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
- Living people
- People from Marianna, Arkansas
- United States secretaries of transportation
- University of Arkansas School of Law alumni
- Verizon people
- Members of the Arkansas State Highway Commission
- Clinton administration personnel
- People associated with Squire Patton Boggs