Jennifer L. Homendy is an American government official who is the chair of the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

in the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...

. Homendy has been the 44th member of the NTSB as of 2018. She has been chairwoman since August 13, 2021.

Early life and education

Homendy is a native of

Plainville, Connecticut Plainville is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 17,525 at the 2020 census. History Plainville first was inhabited by Europeans around 1650. By the 1660s, the land was incorporated as land for nearby Farm ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

and is a master's candidate at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

Career

In 1996 and 1997, Homendy worked as a government relations manager at the

American Iron and Steel Institute The American Iron and Steel Institute is an association of North American steel producers. With its predecessor organizations, is one of the oldest trade associations in the United States, dating back to 1855. It assumed its present form in 190 ...

. From 1997 to 1999, she was a legislative representative for the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

Transportation Trades Department. From 1999 to 2004, she was a legislative representative for the

International Brotherhood of Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the un ...

. From 2004 to 2018, she was a Democratic staff member for the

United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials The Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials is a subcommittee within the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Jurisdiction The Subcommittee oversees regulation of railroads by the Surface Transportation Board, in ...

. In 2018, she was appointed as a member of the

National Transportation Safety Board

Homendy has been a member of the board since 2018.

Trump administration

On April 11, 2018, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

nominated Homendy to be a member of the NTSB and finish out a term expiring in 2019. The

Senate Commerce Committee The United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is a standing committee of the United States Senate. Besides having broad jurisdiction over all matters concerning interstate commerce, science and technology policy, a ...

held hearings on Homendy's nomination on May 16, 2018. Her nomination was favorably reported by the committee to the Senate floor on May 22, 2018. Homendy was confirmed by the entire Senate on July 24, 2018, via

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

. Homendy was renominated to the board to serve a full five-year term by President Trump on December 14, 2018. The Commerce Committee held hearings on her nomination on July 24, 2019. She was confirmed to a full term by the entire Senate on August 9, 2019 by voice vote.

Biden administration

On May 19, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Homendy to serve as the chair of the NTSB. On June 24, 2021, the Senate Commerce Committee held hearings on the nomination. Homendy's nomination was favorably reported by the committee on August 4, 2021. She was confirmed by the entire Senate on August 9, 2021.

Tesla criticism

Homendy has been critical of

Tesla, Inc. Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles (electric cars and trucks), battery energy storage from home to grid- ...

's so-called Full Self-Driving feature. She called the term full self-driving "misleading and irresponsible", and urged Tesla to address safety issues identified by the NTSB before expanding Full Self-Driving features that operate on city streets. In August 2021, Homendy praised the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes" rela ...

's probe of Tesla collisions with emergency services vehicles. In response to a question regarding Homendy's comments, the CEO of Tesla

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The Bori ...

tweeted a link to Homendy’s Wikipedia page which resulted in a "number of attacks" on the content.

Personal life

Homendy, her husband Michael, and their daughter Alexandra currently live in

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Homendy, Jennifer Living people People from Plainville, Connecticut Pennsylvania State University alumni Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board Biden administration personnel Trump administration personnel International Brotherhood of Teamsters people Year of birth missing (living people)