The White House has announced that President Obama will promote David Matsuda to the top executive slot at the Maritime Administration. Matsuda has been serving as the Acting Administrator of the Maritime Administration since he was appointed as Deputy Maritime Administrator on July 28.
The Maritime Administration, or MarAd, is the agency within the US Department of Transportation dealing with waterborne transportation. It is charged with promoting the use of waterborne transportation and its seamless integration with other segments of the transportation system. It is also tasked with securing the viability of the US Merchant Marine.
Prior to joining MarAd, Matsuda served as the US DOT’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy from March thru July. Prior to that, Matsuda spent seven years on Capitol Hill. While working in the US Senate he was engaged in the formulation and debate of most major federal transportation legislation as senior counsel and primary transportation advisor to US Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey.
In 2002, Matsuda was named a Georgetown University Government Affairs Institute Fellow serving on the staff of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. From 1998 to 2002, he worked as an attorney with the safety law division of the U.S. DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration.
