Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator Federal Railroad Administration
Nominated by President Barack H. Obama on March 20, 2009 and confirmed by the United States Senate on April 29, 2009, Joseph C. Szabo is the twelfth Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator. As Administrator, Mr. Szabo is responsible for overseeing the operations for the eight hundred plus person organization. This includes managing a comprehensive railroad safety assurance program and regulatory initiatives; enforcement of railroad safety laws and regulations; development and implementation of national freight and passenger rail policy and financial assistance programs; and oversight of wide ranging advanced research and development projects in support of improved railroad safety.
Mr. Szabo is a fifth generation railroader whose family members worked for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Wabash and Illinois Central Railroads. He began his railroading career in 1976 with the Illinois Central Railroad (IC), later working for Metra, where he was a yard switchman, road trainman and commuter-rail conductor. Since 1984, Mr. Szabo has served in a number of roles with the United Transportation Union (UTU) including Secretary/Treasurer, Delegate, and Legislative Representative of UTU Local 1290. He was appointed Vice Chairman of the UTU Illinois Legislative Board in 1992 and became the UTU’s State Legislative Director in 1996. From October 2006 until his assumption of duties as FRA Administrator, Mr. Szabo was the Vice President of the Illinois State Federation of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
In addition to his love of railroading, Mr. Szabo has long been active in civic life and public service. For more than 20 years, he was involved in local government affairs in the Chicago suburb of Riverdale, Illinois, ultimately serving as its mayor. He has also served as a member of the South Suburban Mayors Transportation Committee and as Vice Chairman of the Chicago Area Transportation Study’s Executive Committee. In 2002, he co-chaired the Governor’s Freight Rail Sub-Committee and in 2005, Mr. Szabo was assigned by the UTU International to the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC), where he participated in the development of rail-safety regulations.
Mr. Szabo earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Labor Relations from Governors State University in 1990. He has served on the Executive Council of Chicago Metropolis 2020, focusing on Land Use Planning and Transportation issues, as well as on the Board of Directors for the Historic Pullman Foundation. He was also a member of the Chicagoland Metropolitan Planning Council.
