According to an email sent out on behalf of Research and Innovative Technology Administration Acting Administrator Greg Winfree, Rolf Schmitt has been named the BTS Deputy Director, succeeding long time Deputy Director Steven K Smith who moved to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last fall.
Here is the text of the email sent out on Friday, June 29:
Dear RITA Team:
I am pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Rolf Schmitt as the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) in the Research and Innovative Technology Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). He is currently the Acting Director of the Office of Freight Management and Operations in the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) at DOT. He will bring to BTS executive experience in national transportation data programs, national transportation policy, and performance measurement.
Dr. Schmitt has been regarded, at both the national and international levels, as an expert who understands the use of data to inform transportation decisions; the data programs that should be developed; and how data gaps can be filled, data quality improved, and data made more useful and accessible.
Rolf has a long history with BTS. He helped establish the Bureau in 1992, and served as its Associate Director for Transportation Studies until 2000. In that capacity, Dr. Schmitt successfully supported the first BTS Director in meeting BTS's mandatory requirements through strategic planning, forming partnerships with stakeholders, and formulating advanced statistical and transportation research and analysis procedures. Among his many BTS activities, he directed the 1993 and 1997 Commodity Flow Surveys and the first six Transportation Statistics Annual Reports, and launched the National Transportation Library. Between October 2010 and March 2011, he worked on BTS issues while on detail as Senior Strategic Advisor to the RITA Administrator.
His federal career started in 1977, and includes positions with BTS, the Department of Transportation's National Transportation Policy Team, the FHWA's Offices of Operations and Policy, and the National Transportation Policy Study Commission. Before joining the federal government, Rolf worked for the Maryland Department of Transportation.
Rolf holds a B.A. in geography from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in geography and environmental engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. His dissertation was on the use of accessibility measures and experimental designs to evaluate transit services for disadvantaged groups.
Please join me in welcoming Rolf to BTS and RITA.
Best regards,
GREG