NTSB chief — and DOT contender — thanks LaHood for service

By Keith Laing - 01/29/13 05:29 PM ET

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman — and potential Transportation secretary candidate — Deborah Hersman thanked departing Department of Transportation (DOT) chief Ray LaHood for his service Tuesday afternoon.

Prior to LaHood's announcement on Tuesday that he was stepping down from the transportation post in President Obama's Cabinet, Hersman has been mentioned as possible successor to the gregarious, departing DOT chief.

Hersman, who has is much less boisterous than LaHood, said she was thankful for the work the former Republican congressman had done since he was appointed Transportation secretary in 2009.

"I appreciate Secretary LaHood’s leadership in making transportation safety a priority," Hersman said in a blog post on the NTSB's website.

"He led the way on several important initiatives, including the effort to stop texting while driving, addressing the commercial vehicle safety, and pushing for the long-awaited rule to address fatigue in the cockpit, to name just three of the key safety initiatives under the secretary’s leadership," Hersman continued. "All of us at the NTSB thank Secretary LaHood for his public service and wish him all the best in the future."

Hersman told reporters prior to LaHood's announcement that she was focused on her current job. However, she worked on Capitol Hill on transportation committees until she joined the NTSB in 2004 and she was initially appointed to the panel by former President George W. Bush.

Hersman, a Democrat, worked for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee from 1999-2004. She was also an aide to former Rep. Bob Wise (D-W.Va.), from 1992 to 1999.

She also might be attractive to President Obama as a potential Transportation secretary pick because he's come under fire for lacking gender diversity in his first round of picks for Cabinet positions in his second term. Obama's appointments for the secretaries of State, Defense and Treasury and head of the CIA are all white men.

The NTSB is independent of the transportation department, although the work of the two agencies is often intertwined, as is the case in the recent investigations into the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" airplane.

White House officials have been tight-lipped about the Department of Transportation's future, even before LaHood's departure. A host of candidates have been rumored to be in contention, however, in addition to Hersman.