Dr. Willke is the Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety in the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (Washington, DC). The Hazardous Materials Safety Program is responsible for formulating, issuing and revising regulations for the coordination of a national safety program for the transportation of hazardous materials by air, rail, highway, and water. Ted oversees the establishment of hazardous materials safety regulations and ensures their compliance and enforcement through inspections, training programs, and public communications.

Prior to this appointment, Ted served as PHMSA's Acting Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety and Deputy Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety. In these roles, Ted led PHMSA's establishment of and enforcement of pipeline safety regulations for operation and maintenance, and spill response planning for the Nation's 2.3 million miles of natural gas and hazardous liquids pipelines.

Previously, Ted was the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Carnegie Mellon Research Institute (CMRI) in Pittsburgh. Ted spent 15 years with the Gas Research Institute (GRI) in Chicago, Illinois. For much of this period, Ted was Vice President of R&D over gas transmission, gas distribution, and environment and safety programs. He served on the Board of PRCI and chaired an international committee on pipeline repair and rehabilitation with 22 member countries for the International Gas Union.

In 2003, Ted was appointed to a study panel of the Transportation Research Board, National Academies, in the area of land use policy around transmission pipelines.

Ted received his doctorate in industrial and systems engineering at Ohio State University. He has an MBA from the University of Dayton and a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He graduated with honors from the United States Air Force Academy. He is married to Sue Ellen Willke. They have three grown and successful sons.