Joseph H. Boardman
Encyclopedia
Joseph H. Boardman is the president of Amtrak
and formerly Administrator of the United States
Federal Railroad Administration
.
He was nominated by President
George W. Bush
on March 17, 2005 and confirmed by the United States Senate
on April 28, 2005. He was the eleventh Federal Railroad Administrator. As Administrator, Mr. Boardman was responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations for the nearly eight hundred-person organization. This includes managing comprehensive safety programs and regulatory initiatives; enforcement of FRA safety regulations; development and implementation of national freight and passenger rail policy; and oversight of diverse research and development activities in support of improved railroad safety.
Mr. Boardman served as the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation
(NYSDOT) since July 1997 and led a major transformation effort that has better enabled the agency to respond to the challenges associated with an ever-expanding global marketplace. He has served in the transportation industry for nearly thirty years with experience in city, county and State government. In addition, he owned his own transportation management company. Most recently, he was chairman of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and Chair of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
' (AASHTO) Standing Committee on Rail Transportation (SCORT).
On November 25, 2008, the Board of Directors for Amtrak
announced they had appointed Boardman to a one-year term as President and CEO of the railway to replace outgoing president Alexander Kummant
. In January 2010, Amtrak announced that they had extended Boardman's appointment indefinitely.
Mr. Boardman is a lifelong resident of New York
State, and is the second of eight children born and raised on a dairy farm in Oneida County
which two of his siblings currently operate. In 1966, he volunteered for military service in the United States Air Force
, serving in Vietnam
from 1968 to 1969. Upon receiving an honorable discharge from the Air Force, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Economics from Cornell University
, and a Master of Science Degree in Management Science from the State University of New York at Binghamton. He presently resides with his wife Joanne in Washington, D.C.
and has three grown children who reside in Rome, New York
.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
and formerly Administrator of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Federal Railroad Administration
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966...
.
He was nominated by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on March 17, 2005 and confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on April 28, 2005. He was the eleventh Federal Railroad Administrator. As Administrator, Mr. Boardman was responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations for the nearly eight hundred-person organization. This includes managing comprehensive safety programs and regulatory initiatives; enforcement of FRA safety regulations; development and implementation of national freight and passenger rail policy; and oversight of diverse research and development activities in support of improved railroad safety.
Mr. Boardman served as the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
(NYSDOT) since July 1997 and led a major transformation effort that has better enabled the agency to respond to the challenges associated with an ever-expanding global marketplace. He has served in the transportation industry for nearly thirty years with experience in city, county and State government. In addition, he owned his own transportation management company. Most recently, he was chairman of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and Chair of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines which are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States...
' (AASHTO) Standing Committee on Rail Transportation (SCORT).
On November 25, 2008, the Board of Directors for Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
announced they had appointed Boardman to a one-year term as President and CEO of the railway to replace outgoing president Alexander Kummant
Alexander Kummant
Alexander K. Kummant was named by Amtrak on August 29, 2006, as the railroad company's new president and chief executive officer effective September 12 of that year. He succeeded David L. Gunn in this position who was dismissed in November 2005, and David Hughes who had been serving as interim...
. In January 2010, Amtrak announced that they had extended Boardman's appointment indefinitely.
Mr. Boardman is a lifelong resident of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
State, and is the second of eight children born and raised on a dairy farm in Oneida County
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
which two of his siblings currently operate. In 1966, he volunteered for military service in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, serving in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
from 1968 to 1969. Upon receiving an honorable discharge from the Air Force, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Economics from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, and a Master of Science Degree in Management Science from the State University of New York at Binghamton. He presently resides with his wife Joanne in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and has three grown children who reside in Rome, New York
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
.