Peter Kurdock, Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety (Safety), Chair. Mr. Kurdock became General Counsel at Advocates in 2018, after having served as Deputy General Counsel and Director of Regulatory Affairs since 2013. In 2015, he served on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Entry-Level Training Advisory Committee, which completed a negotiated rulemaking on training requirements for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Mr. Kurdock also served as a legislative aide to the late United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg and Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr., both of New Jersey, where he handled transportation issues. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from New York University and holds a law degree from Seton Hall University.

Adrienne Gildea, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (Enforcement), Vice Chair. Since 2016, Ms. Gildea has served as the deputy executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). In this capacity, she ensures that CVSA’s activities align with its safety mission and is responsible for policy and government affairs and oversees CVSA’s grant activities. Previously, Ms. Gildea was CVSA’s director of policy and government affairs. With more than 19 years in the transportation policy field, she has served as a member on both the FMCSA Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program Formula Working Group and the Road to Zero Coalition Steering Group. Prior to joining CVSA, Ms. Gildea was a senior associate at a public affairs firm, where she managed a national freight advocacy coalition. She is a graduate of Tulane University with a BA in political science and English and a minor in philosophy and is a certified association executive.

Natalie Cruz, Amalgamated Transit Union, AFL-CIO (Labor). In 2019, Mrs. Cruz was elected International Vice President of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and reelected in 2022. She began her career as a school bus operator in the Cleveland, OH, area in 1998. In 2003, she joined Greyhound Lines Inc. as a motorcoach operator and field instructor. At that time, Mrs. Cruz joined the ATU Local 1700 where she was a shop steward then field organizer, serving as the only Latina organizer in the greater Cleveland area. In 2017, she led a week-long strike of Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority workers in Dayton, OH, winning them better wages and benefits. Committed to helping women and working people, Mrs. Cruz has a strong, enduring belief in the union movement, especially its goals and efforts for working men, women, and families. She holds a certificate in Labor Studies from the Harvard Trade Union Program.

James L. Donovan, Jr., Director, Department of Political and Legislative Action, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Labor). In March 2022, International Brotherhood of Teamsters general president, Sean M. O’Brien, appointed James Donovan as Director of the Department of Political and Legislative Action. The Teamsters Union represents 1.2 million members. A Boston native, Mr. Donovan is a proud second-generation Teamster with more than 30 years of membership, who worked at United Parcel Service while attending the University of Massachusetts for both college and graduate school. From 2013 to 2022, Jimmy served as the Political and Legislative Director at Teamsters Local 25 in Boston and as Executive Director of the Teamsters Local 25 Training Program.

Tami Friedrich, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (Safety). A member of the Board of Directors of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH), Ms. Friedrich has worked as a volunteer for CRASH since its inception in 1990. She works as a Management Services Officer in telecommunications for the University of California Riverside. In 1989, Ms. Friedrich’s sister Kris, brother-in-law Alan, niece Brandie, and nephew Anthony were killed in a crash involving an overturned tanker truck with faulty brakes. Following her family’s loss, Ms. Friedrich has participated in national and California state-specific actions in support of truck safety improvements and volunteered for the Truck Safety Coalition’s Survivors Network. Ms. Friedrich earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from National University in San Diego, CA.

Jaime Hamm, Werner Enterprises (Industry). As Vice President of Safety and Compliance, Ms. Hamm oversees 250 Safety and Terminal Management associates, where she researches and implements methods to improve truck driver safety. She began her career in 1997 with Werner Enterprises in the Safety Department. Ms. Hamm is a Safety Policy Committee Member for the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and serves as Vice Chair on the Technology and Engineering Policy Committee. She is a graduate of the LEAD ATA Program and is a Certified Director of Safety through the North American Transportation Management Institute.

Dan Horvath, American Trucking Associations (Industry). Mr. Horvath is the Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Safety Policy at the American Trucking Associations (ATA), where he represents ATA before state and federal government regulators and oversees its Safety Policy and Hazardous Materials committees, which formulate the official safety policy agenda on behalf of ATA’s membership. Mr. Horvath joined ATA in 2018 after more than five years as Director of Compliance and Safety at TransForce Inc. Previously, he was a contractor for FMCSA, examining new entrant carriers for regulatory compliance. Mr. Horvath also spent several years in the operations and safety department at Mlaker Transportation Inc., a Pennsylvania-based motorcoach and student transportation company. Mr. Horvath holds a commercial driver’s license and is a graduate of the LEAD ATA program, a long-time volunteer at the National Truck Driving Championships, and serves on multiple committees with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a degree in History and Secondary Education.

Dawn King, Truck Safety Coalition (Safety). As president of the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC), Ms. King leads the national organization representing families and victims of truck crashes. TSC is dedicated to improving motor carrier safety on our nation’s roads and highways and to supporting crash victims and their families. Ms. King became involved with TSC after her father was killed in a truck crash on December 23, 2004, while driving to the airport on his way to visit family for the holidays. As a result of her life changing loss, Dawn has championed motor carrier safety improvements in Congress as well as at the state level. She has testified before the U.S. Congress on safety problems and solutions, opposing legislation that would make our roads less safe for families and drivers as well as encouraging adoption of laws that would improve safety for everyone. Dawn holds degrees from Michigan State University, the University of Michigan-Flint, and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

John Lannen, Institute for Safer Trucking (Safety). Mr. Lannen co-founded the Institute for Safer Trucking (IST) in March 2020, a nonprofit with a mission to foster collaboration between stakeholders to educate the public about data driven solutions to make trucking safer. Prior to co-founding IST, he served as Executive Director of the Truck Safety Coalition for 14 years. In this capacity, he worked to promote the voice of truck crash survivors and families of victims while earning a reputation as a reliable resource on truck safety issues and solutions. Mr. Lannen has served on numerous other Federal advisory committees, including the Post Accident Report Advisory Committee and the Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee. He co-founded and served as president of Strategic INFO, an information technology company, in addition to his experience in management and consulting. Mr. Lannen earned his BA in Economics from the College of William and Mary and his MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business Management.

Jane Mathis, Parents Against Tired Truckers (Safety). Ms. Mathis works as a realtor in St. Augustine, FL, and is a member of the Board of Directors of PATT. In 2004, her son, David, and his wife of three days, Mary Kathryn Forbes, were killed on the way home from their honeymoon by a tractor trailer whose driver was suspected of falling asleep at the wheel. This personal tragedy spurred Mrs. Mathis into action to try to help other families avoid such a fate. She has served as the Florida Volunteer Coordinator of the Truck Safety Coalition and has worked at the state, local, and national level to improve truck safety. Ms. Mathis earned her BA in Biology from the Cedar Crest College for Women and an MS in Oceanography from Florida State University.

Peter Pantuso, American Bus Association, Washington, DC (Industry). Since 1996, Mr. Pantuso has served as the President and CEO of the American Bus Association (ABA), North America’s largest motorcoach, tour, and travel association, representing more than 65% of all private motorcoaches on the highways. He is also president of the National Bus Traffic Association and the ABA Foundation. Conceived under his leadership, the ABA Foundation has awarded more than $400,000 in grants and scholarships. Mr. Pantuso earned a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s of Association Management from The George Washington University School of Business and Government.

Travis Plotzer, Tennessee Highway Patrol (Enforcement). A 15-year veteran of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Captain Plotzer has a demonstrated history in providing leadership in enforcement and education regarding highway safety. Presently, he serves as the command staff supervisor of the commercial vehicle enforcement program, where he oversees inspections and commercial motor vehicle related grants. Captain Plotzer is a Level 1 inspector, a crash reconstructionist, commercial motor vehicle post-crash inspector, and has spent several years educating the public on highway safety. He holds a commercial driver’s license with a passenger endorsement. Captain Plotzer earned an associate of arts in police administration from Nashville State Community College, and he graduated from the Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command and the Commissioner’s Leadership Academy in Nashville.

Lauren Samet, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO (Labor). Ms. Samet is director for the American Federation of Teachers’ (AFT) Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel department, which represents over 370,000 support staff in pre-K-12 public school districts, colleges, and universities, including school bus drivers. She has spent two decades with the AFT helping to ensure all students have access to high-quality education and safe, welcoming schools and colleges for students who deserve high-quality food programs, reliable school buses, clean, secure buildings, efficiently run offices, and well-trained staff. Ms. Samet serves as AFT’s liaison to the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore.

Holly Skaar, Idaho State Police (Enforcement). Ms. Skaar is a senior research analyst for the Idaho State Police (ISP) Commercial Vehicle Safety Section. She has been with the ISP for the past 30 years, where she focuses on commercial vehicle data management, data quality, and IT systems. Ms. Skaar serves as the Chair of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Information Systems Committee. The CVSA Information System Committee works with FMCSA, the commercial vehicle industry and the 55 states and territories forwarding MCSAP data quality standards, business rules and IT initiatives. She is a voting member of the Idaho Traffic Records Coordinating Committee. Ms. Skaar earned her BA in Communications from Boise State University.

Todd Spencer, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (Industry). Mr. Spencer was elected President by the OOIDA board of directors in 2018 after serving as Executive Vice President for 26 years. He began his career in trucking as an employee-driver in 1974. In 1976, he purchased a truck and became an owner-operator trucker leased to a motor carrier. In 1978, he was elected to the association's Board of Directors. In 1981, he sold his two trucks and assumed the role as Editor of the association's magazine, Land Line, and Communications Director for OOIDA. Mr. Spencer has testified before various committees of the U.S. Congress on trucking issues. He has served on various committees of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance as an industry representative, as well as serving as an industry advisor to FMCSA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Christopher Treml, International Union of Operating Engineers (Labor). Mr. Treml has served as Director of Construction Training since 2014, where he helps maintain high level of apprenticeship and journey level construction training materials for the IUOE. Previously, he served as training director for the IUOE Local 57 Apprenticeship and Skill Improvement Program for nine years. He served on the Executive Board of the IUOE Local 57 as a trustee for seven years until 2014, and as an operating engineer with J. H. Lynch and Sons of Cumberland, RI. Mr. Treml has earned numerous certifications, holds a Class B commercial driver’s license in Rhode Island, and is an experienced driver and trainer.