July 24, 2003

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced the appointments of chief counsels for two operating administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation: the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

D.J. Gribbin has been named chief counsel for FHWA, and Brigham A. McCown will assume that role for FMCSA. Both will start on July 28. As chief counsels, they will be in charge of the legal activities of their operating administrations.

Both D.J. and Brigham bring a diverse range of experience to the department that will be of great value as we face the transportation challenges of the years ahead," Secretary Mineta said. "Their expertise will be invaluable as we complete the reauthorization of our surface transportation programs and begin their implementation.

Gribbin comes to FHWA from Koch Industries, where he had served as director of public sector business development since 1999 and as director of government affairs from 1997 to 1999. He was national field director of the Christian Coalition from 1994 to 1997 and legislative representative of the National Federation of Independent Business from 1989 to 1994.

Between 1986 and 1989 Gribbin worked on Capitol Hill, including stints as legislative director for U.S. Rep. Larry Combest of Texas and as a staff member of the House Committee on the District of Columbia. Gribbin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985 and his law degree in 1992, both from Georgetown University.

McCown joins FMCSA from the Dallas office of the law firm Winstead Sechrest & Minick P.C., where he has practiced since 2001 as a member of the firm's litigation and government affairs sections. He served as a special legal counsel to the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign during the Florida recount process. Between 1998 and 2001 he was an associate attorney with the firm Peterson & Bernard in West Palm Beach, FL, where he gained extensive litigation experience.

McCown spent the previous decade as an aviator in the U.S. Navy, accumulating over 1,500 flight hours in Operation Desert Storm, Haiti's Operation Support Democracy and other deployments. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in 1988, and a law degree from Northern Kentucky University in 1997.

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