In my role, I manage the Institutes’ daily legal affairs, including such aspects as contracts, intellectual property, employment, data privacy, cyber security and insurance.

The Office of Communications manages the information flow and coordination with outside individuals and organizations regarding on-going activities and issues concerning the NTSB. The Office provides leadership in how the agency responds and coordinates with Congress, the press, and the public to ensure consistency and accuracy of the strategic positions and issues of the NTSB. As Chief of the Safety Advocacy Division, I manage the division's responsibilities for development and advocacy of the agency's 10 Most Wanted List issue areas and the division's efforts to promote highway and recreational boating safety improvements in the States. Work in this and previous positions has also included increasing awareness of and communicating the agency’s messages on key transportation issues by conducting multiple media interviews, testifying before State legislative committees, and presenting to multiple organizations on the agency's State-related safety recommendations and the general process by which the agency promotes safety improvements. I have also drafted many speeches, written testimonies, and advocacy letters on my primary issue areas of impaired driving, child occupant protection, and seat belts, as well as other key issues such as graduated driver licensing. As a supervisor, I encourage skill and knowledge development by mentoring four division staff, drafting performance plans, conducting midpoint and end-of-year appraisals, and meeting as needed. Mentoring has directly led to promotion of two employees.

The Office of Safety Recommendations and Advocacy was responsible for following up on the Agency's safety recommendations to improve transportation safety and for providing transportation disaster assistance to victims and their families. As Deputy Director, I guided staff development by drafting performance and training plans and conducting midpoint and end-of-year appraisals. I also ensured office spending remained within allocated limits by managing the office budget and tracking expenses. When the agency initiated a realignment that disbanded this office, I supported a smooth transition by assisting the new Office Director with key tasks, including managing office budget needs, drafting performance plans, and gathering and summarizing information for quarterly updates on the progress of the fiscal year 2010 operating plan.

The agency investigates transportation accidents and makes recommendations to prevent future crashes, injuries, and fatalities. I developed and executed strategies for promoting recommendations issued to State governments that address highway safety issues (impaired driving, occupant protection). Work included establishing the magnitude of risk if recommendations were not addressed by calculating highway crash statistics for the 50 States using the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, maintaining Microsoft Excel spreadsheets used to track the status of State highway safety laws to ensure information on recommendation implementation was current, and creating Microsoft Access databases to track the office’s advocacy activities and approximately 30 or more State letters each year. With little training, I accepted responsibility as the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative and effectively managed a several hundred thousand dollar, multiyear contract for marketing and public relations projects. In a subsequent position, I served as the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) for the speechwriting contract to assure that the agency received quality products that fulfilled contract needs.

As a Presidential Management Intern and then Evaluator, I worked on teams to evaluate maritime and departmentwide programs. Work included reviewing 10 statutes and 11 Executive Orders to prepare 15-page flow chart that illustrated the intricate Federal rulemaking process. I also analyzed the process for creating and updating the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and examined 9 complex investigations of possible safety related vehicle defects to appraise the effectiveness and viability of the defects investigation process. I researched and summarized United States Coast Guard appropriations for the last 20 years. While on detail to the General Counsel's office, consistently ahead of supervisor’s expected schedule, I researched, analyzed, and advised staff on personnel issues and legislation. Topics included relocation benefits, workers compensation disputes, employers’ responsibilities to members of the Armed Forces Reserves, airport improvement project grants, national environmental policy, termination of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and the moratorium against foreign motor carriers. I also drafted briefs for submission to administrative and trial courts and prepared a litigation report for trial.