President of Maryland Motor Truck Association tapped as next FMCSA administrator

Between 1997 and 2003, Ferro served as Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administrator.

By LYNDON FINNEY
The Trucker Staff

6/5/2009

WASHINGTON — President Barack  Obama said Thursday he would nominate Anne S. Ferro, president and CEO of the Maryland Motor Truck Association (MMTA), to become administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Between 1997 and 2003, Ferro served as Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administrator where she established a strong record in highway safety, regulatory compliance and agency leadership, the president said. 

“She [Ms. Ferro] has extensive experience in driver and vehicle safety having led the agency’s efforts to establish a graduated licensing program for new drivers in Maryland as well as a model for older driver research,” Obama said in a release to the media concerning the nomination.

In addition to serving as president of the MMTA, Ferro also serves on several regional advisory committees relating to freight planning, highway safety and transportation funding.

 In 2008 she was selected as Maryland’s Port Woman of the Year.

Her appointment drew the praise of the man she will succeed when confirmed.

“Anne and I served together on the AAMVAnet (the information system that operates the CDL in all the states) Board of Directors.  She understands and believes in traffic safety,“ John Hill said from his home in Indiana. “Equally important, she has incredible insight into how the motor carrier industry operates – something that is essential when developing regulations that affect millions of drivers, hundreds of thousands of trucking and bus companies in the United States.  The challenges are great for her in the coming months but Anne Ferro’s professional and personal integrity will serve her well in this new role.” 

“Anne will provide good leadership to the agency because she has worked in state government and in private sector and will bring a nice perspective to the job,” Lane Kidd, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, said following the announcement.

When Ferro left her post with the Maryland state government, an article in the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association newsletter called her “well respected by Maryland legislators and agency leaders.”

Ferro earned a Masters degree in Public Management from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s College in Annapolis.

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