Mary E. Peters

Administrator

Federal Highway Administration

Mary E. Peters was sworn in as the 15th Federal Highway Administrator on Oct. 2, 2001. As administrator, she leads efforts by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to improve safety and security, reduce congestion, and enhance mobility on America's roads and bridges.

Before her appointment, Ms. Peters was the director of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). She provided leadership to more than 4,800 employees in administering the state's transportation program. Ms. Peters joined ADOT in 1985, working her way up through the ranks to serve as contract administrator, deputy director for administration, and deputy director Gov. Jane Hull appointed her director in 1998.

Ms. Peters served on the board of directors for the Arizona Quality Alliance, Women Executives in State Government, and Project Challenge, an arm of the National Guard that helps troubled teens to become productive citizens. She also chaired the Highway Expansion Loan Program Advisory Board and was a member of the Greater Arizona Development Authority as well as the Governor's Diversity Advisory Council. In addition, she was a member of the Arizona Governor's Growing Smarter Commission, the Governor's CANAMEX task force, and the Governor's Transportation Vision for the 21st Century task force.

In addition to her work in Arizona, Ms. Peters has been involved in transportation activities at the national level. She served on the board of directors for ITS America, chaired the Standing Committee on Planning and the Asset Management Task Force for the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO), and served as a member of the AASHTO 2001 Reauthorization Steering Committee. She also hosted the 2001 meeting of the Western Association of State Highway Transportation Officials.

Ms. Peters has received numerous awards, including the Women's Transportation Seminar's Person of the Year Award, and has been recognized as the Most Influential Person in Arizona Transportation by the Arizona Business Journal.

A fourth-generation Arizonan, Ms. Peters holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix and attended Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for State and Local Government Executives. She and her husband, Terry, have three grown children.