Scott Darling, chief counsel of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), will serve as the agency’s acting administrator until President Obama chooses a successor to Anne Ferro, who leaves the agency today. Ferro announced Darling’s selection by Dept. of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx in a farewell message to FMCSA employees on Friday.
“I know that Scott will provide seamless leadership with integrity, intelligence, and a commitment to engage our employees and stakeholders to meet our lifesaving mission,” Ferro said.
Darling joined FMCSA as chief counsel in September 2012 and in that capacity has acted as the agency’s chief legal officer and manager of FMCSA’s attorneys at headquarters and the regional offices. Previously, he was deputy chief of staff and assistant general counsel for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, where earlier he had served as environmental and land use counsel.
Another nugget of news in Ferro’s message was that Deputy Administrator Bill Bronrott has decided to leave FMCSA at the end of the year but “for the sake of continuity during this critical period” will remain in his current role in the meantime. Bronrott has been deputy administrator for more than four years.
“I am confident that Acting Administrator Darling, Deputy Administrator Bronrott, our senior executive team, and each and every one of you will continue to build on the progress of the past five years,” Ferro said in her message to FMCSA staff. “I'm counting on you, because it's never been about me. It's always been about us - One FMCSA - working as a team on the highest of callings in public service -- saving lives.”
Ferro, who has served longer than any administrator since FMCSA was created in 2000, announced last month that she was leaving the agency to join the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators as president.
