Co-Chairs

Ray LaHood is a nationally recognized leader in transportation and infrastructure policy and a former U.S. Secretary of Transportation. A longtime public servant known for his bipartisan approach and ability to bring people together, Secretary LaHood has devoted much of his career to strengthening America’s transportation system and expanding opportunity through infrastructure investment.

LaHood served as the 16th U.S. Secretary of Transportation from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. During his tenure, he led a department with more than 55,000 employees and oversaw the nation’s air, rail, highway, transit, maritime, and pipeline transportation programs. He made safety, infrastructure investment, economic development, and expanding transportation choices central priorities, while championing high-speed and intercity passenger rail as an essential part of America’s transportation future.

Before becoming Secretary, LaHood represented Illinois’ 18th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for 14 years, serving on the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Appropriations Committees. Earlier in his career, he served as chief of staff to House Republican Leader Robert H. Michel and held positions in the Illinois legislature and in local government. His career in public service has been distinguished by a reputation for bipartisanship, pragmatism, and collaboration.

As Transportation Secretary, LaHood was a leading national advocate for the development of a modern U.S. high-speed rail network. He argued that high-speed rail could create jobs, strengthen communities, reduce congestion, expand transportation choices, and help position the United States for long-term economic growth. Today, he continues to bring decades of transportation expertise and bipartisan leadership to the effort to build a world-class high-speed rail system in America.

Anthony Foxx is a nationally recognized transportation and public policy leader who served as the 17th U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Barack Obama. A leading voice on transportation, infrastructure, and public leadership, Secretary Foxx brings extensive experience spanning federal transportation policy, city government, infrastructure investment, and the future of mobility.

As U.S. Secretary of Transportation from 2013 to 2017, Foxx led an agency of more than 55,000 employees overseeing the nation’s air, rail, transit, highway, maritime, and pipeline transportation systems. He helped secure passage of the FAST Act, the first long-term federal transportation legislation in more than a decade, and advanced major initiatives in transportation innovation, safety, equity, and infrastructure investment.

Before joining the Obama Administration, Foxx served as mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, from 2009 to 2013. As mayor, he made transportation investment a centerpiece of the city’s economic recovery, advancing the expansion of Charlotte’s LYNX light rail system, airport improvements, and the Charlotte Streetcar while helping attract new businesses and create jobs. Previously, he served two terms on the Charlotte City Council, where he chaired the Transportation Committee.

Today, Foxx is the Emma Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership and Director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. He is also a director of several major corporations and serves on the boards of organizations focused on infrastructure, public policy, and economic development. Throughout his career, Foxx has championed transportation as more than infrastructure—as a powerful tool for connecting people to opportunity, strengthening communities, and building a more prosperous America.