President George W. Bush has nominated former federal highway chief, Mary Peters, as his next transportation secretary, an administration official said.
Peters' nomination will require Senate confirmation. She would replace Norm Mineta, who resigned after serving 5 1/2 years in the post as the only Democrat in Bush's Cabinet.
Peters served as head of the Federal Highway Administration from 2001 to 2005.
If confirmed by the Senate, Peters would become the second woman to hold the position in the agency's nearly 40-year history. Elizabeth Dole, the current North Carolina senator, led the department in the mid-1980s under President Ronald Reagan.
Peters is currently a vice president at HDR Inc., a major engineering firm.
"Mary Peters is a proven and innovative leader in transportation. She has over 20 years of experience fighting for improved transportation safety, reduced congestion and modernization of our nation's roads and bridges," the administration official said.
Peters is from Arizona and was a state transportation official there prior to joining the Bush administration.
As highway administrator, she focused on expanding the private sector's role in financing, building, operating and maintaining transportation infrastructure.
