Acting Chief Information Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer

Tim Schmidt is the Acting Chief Information Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer for the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT). He serves as the department’s technology advocate, strategist and thought leader.

Tim advocates, monitors, evaluates and communicates new and evolving technological and process solutions to solve cross-modal challenges and fill gaps where necessary.  He works with senior leadership within DOT and is responsible for assisting with the coordination and integrations of technical policies, guidelines, procedures, and activities to ensure effective and efficient strategic planning in support of DOT missions and objectives.

Tim initiates and evaluates the collection and monitoring of technology research to educate the DOT community about technological breakthroughs.

Background

Prior to joining DOT Headquarters, Tim held numerous senior management and executive positions both within and outside the federal government, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and the White House.  One of the hallmarks of his time at the White House Communications Agency was leading both Reagan-Gorbachev Summits hosted in Geneva and Reykjavik.  He is a retired Army officer, having served for over 20 years within the Department of Defense.

Associate Chief Information Officer (ACIO) for Information Assurance and Privacy

Andrew Orndorff was appointed in May 2008 to the position of Associate Chief Information Officer (ACIO) for Information Assurance and Privacy, and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT). In his role of ACIO/CISO, Andrew oversees the cybersecurity and information assurance at DOT, both tactically and strategically, including policy, procedures, continuity planning, and compliance with existing statutes and regulations.

He has more than 21 years of experience in information technology, the last eleven in leadership roles for the federal government. Andrew is a proponent of business-driven, collaborative solutions development, and the strategic use of open source and cloud solutions.

Andrew holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University, with a focus on the application of information technology to solving engineering design problems.  He lives with his wife and their family pets near Annapolis, Maryland.

 Resource Management Director

As the Director of the Resource Management Office (RMO) for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Kristen Baldwin focuses on strategic communications, procurement, budget, and human resource efforts. 

As Director of the RMO, she impacts the development of enterprise-wide strategic communications for customers of the IT Shared Services in addition to IT advancements that impact all of DOT. She coordinates closely with other OST offices and DOT modes to develop strategic solutions relating to budget and procurement, such as cost-saving measures in the Working Capital Fund and enterprise-wide contract vehicles that align with the IT mission of the Department. 

Kristen has more than seven years of experience in resource management and strategic communications within the federal government. She received her BA from the University of Virginia and an MS in Information Systems from the George Washington University.
 

Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Litigation

Peter J. Plocki joined the Office of Litigation in the Department of Transportation’s General Counsel’s office in 1991 and has been the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Litigation since September 2009.  In this capacity, Mr. Plocki oversees and assists in the development of the Department's litigation positions in a wide range of forums including the Supreme Court, the lower federal courts, and other federal administrative agencies, provides legal advice to senior Department officials, and assists in the management of the litigation office’s staff attorneys. 

The substantive areas of concentration during his tenure with the office have included federal preemption of state law, constitutional aspects of the Department’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise programs, cross-border transportation issues, rail and motor carrier safety, and environmental law.  He works closely with the Department of Justice and the Department's Chief Counsels' Offices in representing the Department in federal court and has personally briefed and argued cases for the Department in U.S. circuit courts of appeals around the country.

Prior to joining the General Counsel's Office at the Department of Transportation, Mr. Plocki spent over eight years in law firm practice in Washington, D.C., where his practice included litigation, administrative law, and corporate work for energy and transportation clients.  Mr. Plocki is a member of the Supreme Court Bar and is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.  He received his Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University, where he was Executive Editor of the Journal of International Law and Economics, and his undergraduate degree with honors from Swarthmore College.  Mr. Plocki has received numerous awards from the Department, its operating administrations, and the Department of Justice, including the Secretary's Gold Medal Team Award and the General Counsel’s Award for Exceptional Performance.

Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary

Tracey has more than 15 years of prior IT experience in both the public and private sectors, ranging from technical and operational management and oversight to Enterprise Architecture, Policy, Planning, and Capital Investment development and execution. 

She originally came to DOT from the Department of Energy, where she had worked for 10 years as both a contractor and a federal employee.  She has both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Delaware State University and is a published research author.

Deputy Assistant General Counsel for International Law

Mr. Bloch has been Deputy Assistant General Counsel since the beginning of 2011. Mr. Bloch was chair of the U.S. delegation to the Diplomatic Conference that adopted the Unlawful Interference Convention in 2009. He also led the U.S. delegation to the Diplomatic Conference that adopted the Luxembourg Protocol to the Cape Town Convention in 2007. In addition, Mr. Bloch was chair of the U.S. delegation to the 2008 meeting of the ICAO Legal Committee. 

Since 2007, he has served as Co-chair of the Preparatory Commission responsible for implementing the Luxembourg Protocol.  He also serves as the Chair of the NATO Insurance Committee and as Vice-Chair of the Civil Aviation Transport Group at NATO.  In 2009, Mr. Bloch was selected by the State Department to be a member of its Advisory Committee on Private International Law.

Recent awards include the 2007 Secretary’s Partnering for Excellence Award for work on U.S.-Europe and U.S.-China Aviation Relations, the 2009 General Counsel’s Award for Excellence in chairing the U.S. delegation to the 2009 Diplomatic Conference on Air Law, and the 2009 Secretary’s Team Award for work on improving the safety, security and economic viability of U.S-China hazardous materials shipments.  Mr. Bloch received his L.L.M in International Law from Georgetown Law School, his J.D. from the  Duke University School of Law, and his B.A. from the University of Rochester.  He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Senior Procurement Executive

In October 2010, Willie H. Smith officially assumed the responsibilities of Senior Procurement Executive for the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). He is the official responsible for the management direction of all DOT procurement systems and programs. His responsibilities encompass implementation of the full range of procurement policies, regulations, and standards applicable to the Department.

Experience

Prior to this assignment, Willie served as Director, Office of Acquisition Management for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).  He was responsible for overseeing the full range of greater than one billion dollars of annual procurement services performed by the Office of Acquisition Management, including the development of FHWA procurement policy, planning and procurement programs, the recruitment and development of potential contracting sources, and the provision of the supply items required for the daily operation of the FHWA technical offices.

Before assuming the above assignment, Willie served as a Senior Program Analyst in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.  In this capacity, he provided acquisition management oversight for Major Defense Acquisition Programs for the Departments of Air Force, Army, and Navy.  He facilitated policy development and ensured the successful planning and integration of cost, schedule, and technical aspects of acquisition programs by promoting coordination, integration and mutual understanding within the Department of Defense (DoD), between Defense agencies and other Federal Agencies, and with International Cooperative Programs and Allied Nations.

Just prior to his position with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Willie served as Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air Programs.  He provided recommendations and guidance in the evaluation of the politics, institutions, and actors involved in the agenda-setting, formulation, and implementation of Navy and DoD acquisition, procurement policy, and budget.

In addition to the aforementioned, Willie has served in an assortment of other leadership capacities within the Navy including Deputy Program Manager for the Navy's Defense Suppressions Systems Program office, Acquisition Deputy to the Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft programs,  Operations Officer for the F/A-18 E/F program, and Program Manager for the $3 billion Finland F/A-18 Foreign Military Sales program.

Background

Willie is a graduate of Fayetteville State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management.  He holds two Masters degrees; a Master  of Public Administration degree with concentrations in Financial Management and Government Contracting; and a Master  of Science degree in National Resource Strategy.  Willie also holds a Doctorate of Management and Organizational Leadership.

He has received numerous performance and honor awards including the FHWA Administrator's Award for Superior Achievement, the Navy's Civilian Meritorious Service award, the Secretary of the Navy's Acquisition Reform award, and the Department of Defense Acquisition Excellence Award.

Acting Assistant General Counsel for General Law

Director, Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution

Fern F. Kaufman is the Director of the DOT Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution, where she is responsible for training and education, neutral services, and dispute resolution design and evaluation.  Ms. Kaufman mediates two-party and multi-party disputes, coaches managers and employees on improving communication and conflict management skills,  and provides training in basic and advanced communications, interest-based problem solving, facilitation, and conflict management. Ms. Kaufman also represents the Department at conferences and seminars and on the Steering Committee of the Attorney General's Interagency Dispute Resolution Working Group.  Ms. Kaufman previously served DOT as an attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for Dispute Resolution at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Before DOT, Ms. Kaufman was Director of the Collaboration and ADR program at the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA).  At the FLRA, Ms. Kaufman provided alternative dispute Resolution services in pending unfair labor practice, representation, negotiability and bargaining impasse disputes and provided facilitation and training activities to assist labor and management in developing constructive approaches to conducting their relationships.  Prior to FLRA, Ms. Kaufman was Deputy Director of Mediation services at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), where she directed the Federal Sharing Neutrals Program.  Ms. Kaufman has mediated hundreds of disputes throughout the government and has provided training and mediation for both federal and community mediation programs in the Washington metropolitan area.

Ms. Kaufman is a member of both the District of Columbia and the New York Bars.  She earned an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a Juris Doctorate from Duke University School of Law.

Assistant Secretary for Administration
Office of the Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation

Brodi Fontenot serves as the Assistant Secretary for Administration, the Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO), and the Senior Sustainability Officer (SSO).  As Assistant Secretary, he provides leadership and oversight in the areas of human resources, security, acquisitions and grants, transportation and facilities, and space management.  As the SSO, he is responsible for implementation, oversight and management of the Department’s energy, environmental and sustainability goals for approximately 11,000 buildings and 6,000 vehicles operated by the Department.

Brodi joined the Department in July 2009 as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget.  Prior to joining DOT, he was a staff member of the US Senate Budget Committee.  In this role, Brodi analyzed and made recommendations to the Committee Chairman on budget requests of DOT and other federal agencies.  Brodi has also held leadership positions at the Government Accountability Office where he worked on issues such as housing, disaster assistance, and budgeting for capital projects.

Associate CIO and Chief Information Security Officer

Joe Albaugh is the Associate Chief Information Officer for Information Assurance and Chief Information Security Officer for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). In this role, Joe oversees the Information Assurance and cyber security efforts across all modes of transportation within the Department, advocating pragmatic security solutions that help enable mission success.  Prior to assuming this role, Joe was the Chief Information Security Officer for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), where he led the organization's information security program and focused on the collaborative transformation of information security, privacy and technology, across the business lines and staff offices. 

Joe has more than nineteen years of professional experience in security analysis, design, implementation and management, with a particularly strong background in technical vulnerability assessment and program development. Prior to joining the FAA in 2011, Joe was the Chief Information Security Officer and Acting Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Prior to his work at the FDA, Joe was a Senior Manager in BearingPoint's Public Services Solutions Group, where he led the security solutions practices for Foreign Affairs and Federal Healthcare.

Joe has served as consultant and subject matter expert to several Departments across the public sector, to include the Departments of State, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and the Interior.  Joe has also provided security services for private-sector Health, Energy and Financial corporations.

Joe received his Master’s degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University in 2007.  He has a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Maryland and has completed Executive Education programs at the Yale School of Management and the Federal Executive Institute.  He has acquired several professional certifications in his career, including the CISSP, C|EH, NSA-IAM, MCSE, CCNA and PCLP and has been an active general aviation pilot for the past sixteen years.

Acting General Counsel

Katie Thomson was appointed Acting General Counsel on May 6, 2013.  Katie previously served as the Chief Counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration. From April 2009 to her appointment at FAA, Katie served as Counselor to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, where she was the Secretary's principal advisor on energy, climate, and environmental matters. Katie led the Transportation Department team that developed historic joint fuel/greenhouse gas emission standards for passenger cars and trucks and heavy duty vehicles. These new standards, taken together, will nearly double the fuel economy of passenger vehicles by 2025 and reduce oil consumption by more than 2.2 million barrels per day.

Katie played a critical role in the development and implementation of President Obama's Blueprint for a Security Energy Future and represented the Department at the 2009 and 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conferences in Copenhagen and Durban.

During her tenure at the Department, Katie spearheaded a number of other priority interagency projects, including: the negotiation and development of a new, long-haul, cross-border trucking program with Mexico; and the implementation of the U.S. strategy for responding to the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme as applied to international aviation.

Katie also served as the Department's Senior Sustainability Officer. In that capacity, she was responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the Department's strategic energy and sustainability targets.

Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Katie practiced for 19 years at the law firm of Sidley Austin in Washington, D.C. As a partner in the firm's environmental group, she focused on civil and criminal litigation, compliance counseling, and regulatory advocacy — with an emphasis on the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, hazardous waste management spill reporting, and hazardous materials transportation enforcement and compliance matters.

A graduate of University of Illinois (summa cum laude) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Katie resides in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband Chris Lu. In her free time, she is an avid marathoner and triathlete.

Chief Information Officer

Richard McKinney is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). He was sworn into office on May 13, 2013.

Richard served most recently as a Senior Fellow for the Center for Digital Government. From 2005 to 2011, he was the Government Technology Advisor for Microsoft’s State and Local Government division. Richard served from 1999 to 2005 as Chief Information Officer for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, a consolidated city/county government. In Nashville, Richard led the Department of Information Technology Services from a “last place” ranking in the 1999 Governing Magazine “Grading the Cities” survey to a top ten finish in the Center for Digital Government annual “Digital Cities” survey starting in 2003.  Nashville remained in the top ten ranking for six straight years.  Prior to working for Nashville city government, Richard was the Director of Information Services for the Tennessee General Assembly from 1995 to 1999.  He served as Assistant Commissioner of Administration for the State of Tennessee Department of General Services from 1987 to 1995. 

Richard holds both a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree from Tennessee State University. Richard is married and the proud father of five children and five grandchildren.  In his spare time, he is an avid landscape and nature photographer.

Assistant General Counsel for Regulation and Enforcement

From 2010 to 2013, Ms. Sinniger served as Office Chief in the Office of Regulations and Administrative Law for the Coast Guard Judge Advocate General, leading an office of 15 attorneys and 3 administrative assistants.  She advised senior Coast Guard leadership on all aspects of rulemaking, liaising with the Department of Homeland Security, other Executive Departments, and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.  Prior to this position, she served as one of two senior attorneys/ team leaders in the same office.  She served as project counsel for teams assigned to several economically significant rulemakings for the Coast Guard, including the creation of 33 CFR Subchapter H (the Maritime Transportation Security Act regulations), the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) projects, implementing ballast water discharge standards, and establishing inspection standards for towing vessels.  She worked in the Coast Guard’s Office of Regulations and Administrative Law since January of 2000.  Prior to that, she served as an Honors Attorney with the Department of Transportation.

Ms Sinniger received her J.D. from William and Mary School of Law in 1998, and her B.A. in Politics from The Catholic University of America in 1995.  She is married to David, an ex-Navy surface warfare officer and current defense contractor.  Together, they direct the very dramatic lives of Rachel, Sara, and Josephine.  Ms. Sinniger is a Rhode Island native, and spends as much time as possible visiting friends and family in the Great Ocean State.

Associate CIO for Technology Operations & Infrastructure
 

Todd served most recently as Chief Information Officer at the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division from 2010 to 2014. From 2008 to 2010, he was the Chief Information Officer at the County of Berks in Reading Pennsylvania. Prior to that, Todd worked at XO Communications as a Regional IT Manager from 1998 to 2008.

Todd holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio State University. Todd also holds a Master’s Degree in Information Systems from Drexel University. Todd is married and the proud father of one child currently attending the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Acting Director, Office of Civil Rights

Ms. Jones was sworn in as Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Transportation in January 2014.  In this role, Stephanie serves as a senior adviser to Secretary Anthony Foxx and the Chief of Staff, and helps to manage a department with more than 55,000 employees and a $70 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation. 

Recently, Secretary Foxx designated Stephanie to serve as the Acting Director of the Departmental Office of Civil Rights (DOCR). Stephanie will continue to serve as the Deputy Chief of Staff, while she provides leadership to DOCR.

Stephanie joined Secretary Foxx’s leadership team after several years as a small business owner.  Her public affairs and strategic communications firm, Stephanie Jones Strategies, empowered non-profits and businesses to increase productivity and profitability by improving diversity, expanding communication and engaging with external strategic partners and communities.

Prior to launching SJS in 2010, Stephanie spent five years as Executive Director of the National Urban League Policy Institute, the Urban League’s research, policy and advocacy arm. She was also Editor-in-Chief of The State of Black America and Opportunity Journal magazine.

From 2002 until 2005, Stephanie served as Chief Judiciary Committee Counsel to Senator John Edwards, advising him on judicial nominations, civil rights and liberties, homeland security, labor, and other issues. She worked closely with the Senator in the development of his anti-poverty, civil rights and urban agendas and was a senior adviser during his 2004 presidential and vice presidential campaigns. Prior to working for Senator Edwards, Stephanie was Chief of Staff to the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

From 1994 until 2000, Stephanie served in the Clinton Administration as Secretary’s Regional Representative in the U.S. Department of Education, where she was the Administration’s education point person for a six-state region.  During this time, she also extensively traveled with the President and First Lady, coordinating scores of events and domestic and foreign trips, including the President’s state visits to Africa, Europe, Asia, and The First Lady’s Save Our Treasures Tour and trips to Haiti, The Hague, and Poland.

Before entering government service, Stephanie was an Associate Professor of Law at Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law, where she taught Civil Rights Law, Civil and Criminal Procedure, Entertainment Law, and Trial Advocacy. Stephanie has also served on the adjunct faculty of Northwestern University School of Law and practiced law with the firm Graydon, Head & Ritchey in Cincinnati. Prior to her legal career, Stephanie was a staff reporter at the Cincinnati Post and Executive Assistant to Lionel Richie and the Commodores.

Stephanie earned her B.A. from Smith College and her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where she was a Fellow in the Urban Morgan Institute of Human Rights. She also attended Tuskegee University.

Stephanie’s work in diversity, public engagement and cross-cultural understanding has earned accolades in many sectors. Her study, Sunday Morning Apartheid: A Diversity Study of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows, which she conceived, conducted, and wrote, triggered a significant and measurable increase in the on-air racial diversity of network and cable news programming.  Stephanie’s essays and commentary on public policy, civil rights, and social justice have been featured in The Washington Post, Salon, and other publications.

Associate General Counsel

Amitabha “Amit” Bose serves as Associate General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), providing legal counsel, guidance and advice to the Office of the Secretary and DOT’s Operating Administrations.  In his previous role as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs, he assisted handling DOT’s relationships with Congress and legislative matters, including MAP-21, 2012 FAA reauthorization bill, and 2011 pipeline safety act.  He also served as Director of Congressional Affairs at the Federal Railroad Administration from October 2009 to June 2011. 

He has worked in the House and Senate as the transportation staffer for Senator and then-Congressman Bob Menendez.  His projects included securing the full funding grant agreement for the Hudson Bergen Light Rail, and authorization and funding for the 50-foot deepening of New York Harbor.  He also worked as a policy advisor and head of federal affairs at the New Jersey Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit.  During that time, he was tasked with the effort to secure $3 billion in federal funding for the Access to the Region’s Core, the first rail tunnel in 100 years to connect New Jersey and Manhattan.  In private practice in Georgia, Amit focused on land use, environmental and municipal law.  He participated in the President’s Leadership Workshop.  He has written articles for the Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law and Mercer Law Review.  Amit has an AB from Columbia College, a MIA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a JD from the University of Georgia, where he was Executive Articles Editor for the Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law, Ed Sumner Memorial Scholar and Land Use Clinic Award winner.  

Overview

The CFO's Office is led by a strong team of experienced managers who work to provide sound budget development, disciplined performance review, rigorous financial management, and responsible credit administration for the Department. Below are the professional bios for the office's senior management team. To read professional bios for the CFO and the Deputy Assistant Secretaries, click here.

• Laura M. Ziff - Director, Budget and Program Performance
• Gregory A. Brown - Deputy Director, Budget and Program Performance
• Janet R. Forsgren - Chief Financial Officer, OST
• Michael Bouril - Director, Credit Oversight and Risk Management
• Duane Callender - Director, TIFIA Joint Program 

Office of Budget and Program Performance

Laura M. Ziff, Director

Laura M. Ziff serves as the Director of the Office of Budget and Program Performance. In this role, she oversees the development, implementation, and administration of the Department’s budget for eleven operating agencies and the Office of the Secretary. Ms. Ziff joined the Office of Budget and Program Performance in 2002 as a budget analyst covering multiple operating agencies and the Highway Trust Fund. She has also served as the office’s Deputy Director from 2008 to 2009.

Background

Ms. Ziff began her Federal career at the U.S. Coast Guard, where she worked on performance management issues. Prior to joining the Federal government, Ms. Ziff worked for the Council for Excellence in Government and the National Cooperative Business Association.

Ms. Ziff holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University.

Gregory A. Brown, Deputy Director

Gregory A. Brown is currently the Deputy Director for the Office of Budget and Program Performance.  Since 2010, Mr. Brown has functioned in a senior-level role that provides leadership, advice, and guidance to the Office of the Secretary in the development, implementation, and administration of the Department’s budget, financial management, and performance management.

Background

Mr. Brown is the former Chief Administrative Officer for the Maryland Transportation Authority.  In that capacity, Mr. Brown directed all agency administrative functions including information technology, procurement, human resources, and inventory control. Mr. Brown joined the Maryland Transportation Authority in September 2000 as the Director of Intergovernmental Projects and has also served as the Assistant Executive Secretary. Prior to joining the Authority, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the District of Columbia’s Department of Corrections.  Previously, he was Branch Chief for Public Education and Community Services with the District’s Office of Budget and Planning and also held fiscal oversight positions with Baltimore City Community College, the National Association of State Budget Officers, and the Maryland General Assembly.

Mr. Brown holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Economics from Morgan State University.

Office of the OST CFO 

Janet R. Forsgren, Chief Financial Officer

Janet R. Forsgren currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Office of the Secretary.  Ms. Forsgren provides leadership, advice, and guidance to the Secretarial Offices in the areas of budget formulation and execution as well as financial management. Prior to assuming this position, Ms. Forsgren served as a senior program analyst overseeing the Department’s credit assistance programs and as the Deputy Director for the Office of Budget and Program Performance.

Background

Prior to her work at the Department of Transportation, Ms. Forsgren held various positions at the Office of Management and Budget. 

Ms. Forsgren holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Office of Credit Oversight and Risk Management

Michael Bouril, Director

Michael Bouril serves as the Director of the Office of Credit Oversight and Risk Management.  Mr. Bouril plays a key role in the execution and oversight of the Department’s more than $16 billion innovative finance portfolio by managing the Secretary’s credit oversight team and Credit Council. He also ensures the Department’s credit policies are consistently implemented across the operating administrations' innovative finance programs. Prior to assuming his current duties, Mr. Bouril spent five years as a credit program analyst in the Office of Budget and Program Performance, where he advised the Chief Financial Officer on loan applications and credit policy and assisted in the development and execution of DOT’s budget of more than $70 billion.

Background

Mr. Bouril began his Federal career with the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, where he worked as a financial analyst on the Maritime Guaranteed Loan program. 

Mr. Bouril holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in Business Administration from George Mason University.

Office of Transportation Infrastructure and Finance Act (TIFIA) Joint Program

Duane Callender, Director

Duane Callender manages the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) credit program. He directs a staff responsible for all aspects of project evaluations, negotiations, and portfolio monitoring. Mr. Callender oversees a portfolio that encompasses nearly $19 billion in Federal credit assistance to 47 intermodal, highway, and transit projects totaling approximately $72 billion of infrastructure investment in the U.S.

Background

Immediately before joining the TIFIA program, Mr. Callender held positions in DOT’s Office of Budget and Programs where he was responsible for overseeing the Maritime Administration budget, in DOT’s Inspector General’s Office, and in the Budget Office of the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department.

A New York native, Mr. Callender holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Connecticut College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from American University.

Deputy General Counsel

Kristin Amerling is Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation.  Her previous experience includes over 20 years of service in House and Senate staff positions, including Chief Investigative Counsel and Director of Oversight for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Chief Counsel of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Chief Counsel of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and State of Maine Press Secretary to Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell.  Ms. Amerling also spent several years in private practice as an associate with the law firm Steptoe and Johnson and served as Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund.  Ms. Amerling grew up in Maine and graduated from Harvard College and the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy

Carlos Monje is Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy. He manages and oversees the Office of Transportation Policy which is primarily responsible for recommending transportation policy initiatives to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary.  The Office of Transportation Policy reviews proposed Departmental regulatory actions to ensure that regulations are as consistent as possible with the policies of the Administration and the Secretary. He oversees the administration’s proposal to reauthorize surface transportation programs, the TIGER discretionary grant program, and on efforts to promote equity and economic development.

Monje previously served as Counselor to US. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff of the White House Domestic Policy Council where he helped oversee all aspects of policy, message and event development across a wide spectrum of domestic policy issues which included disaster recovery, veterans affairs, and national service issues.  Monje also served as deputy policy director at Obama for America and a special assistant in President Obama’s DC Senate office where he handled homeland security and veterans affairs.

Monje previously worked as a policy and press aide in the United States Senate and on a number of federal and statewide electoral campaigns.

A graduate of Harvard University, Monje is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana.  He met his wife, Anne Filipic, while they both worked on the Obama campaign in 2008.  Monje is the first in his family born in the United States.  His family is from Argentina.