The American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials have applauded the nomination of Shailen Bhatt to lead the Federal Highway Administration.

“Shailen Bhatt has been a tireless transportation advocate for decades, especially in the areas of safety and technology, and he makes an excellent choice by the Biden administration to lead FHWA,” said AASHTO Executive Director Jim Tymon. “His leadership roles at both the Delaware and Colorado Departments of Transportation—as well as his time at the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, and AECOM—demonstrate his ability to bring people together to ensure we have a safe, sustainable, equitable, and multi-modal transportation system that enables mobility for everyone. We look forward to building upon our already strong relationship with Shailen and urge the Senate to consider his nomination quickly so that he may partner with states to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and improve the quality of life for people in every community throughout the country.”

Bhatt currently serves as global vice president of global transportation innovation at engineering firm AECOM. Prior to that role, Bhatt was president and CEO of ITSA, championing safety, sustainability, and equity by advancing the deployment of new transportation technologies such as connected and automated vehicles. He also led the Colorado Department of Transportation as its executive director and, before that, the Delaware Department of Transportation as its secretary. He also has federal government experience, previously serving as a presidential appointee to the U.S. Department of Transportation.