NORMAN Y. MINETA

U.S. Secretary of Transportation (Retired)

Norman Y. Mineta is the founder of the Mineta Transportation Institute, which was created by Congress in 1991 as the International Institute of Surface Transportation Policy Studies and is part of the Lucas Graduate School of Business at San José State University in San José , California .

Mr. Mineta is an internationally recognized expert in the field of transportation policy, and has a long and distinguished record of accomplishments in the fields of transportation and business. Currently he is Vice Chair of Hill & Knowlton Global Communications Consultancy, applying his diverse experience and his extensive knowledge of public policy to a broad range of domestic and international issues.

Prior to joining Hill & Knowlton, Mineta was the 14th U.S. Secretary of Transportation. He was the longest serving transportation secretary since the cabinet post was created in 1967 when air, maritime, and surface transportation missions were combined into one agency. From his appointment by President Bush in January 25, 2001, until July 17, 2006, Secretary Mineta was responsible for the US DOT $61.6 billion annual budget and almost 60,000 employees.

On September 11, 2001, Secretary Mineta was quick to respond to the terrorist attacks, halting air traffic in the United States and preventing the possibility of further casualties. He oversaw the Coast Guard response that included developing the Sea Marshal Program, maritime safety and security teams, and expanding the number and mission of Coast Guard port security units. Additionally, he guided the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that is charged with protecting the nation’s transportation systems by ensuring the freedom of movement for people and commerce.

Other achievements during his tenure as transportation secretary include the lowest vehicle fatality rate ever recorded, the highest safety belt usage rate ever recorded, the lowest rail fatality level ever recorded, and the safest three-year period in aviation history.

Before serving as Secretary of Transportation under President Bush, Mineta was U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton, becoming the first Asian Pacific American to serve in the cabinet. He also is the first Secretary of Transportation to have previously served in a cabinet position. Prior to joining the Commerce Department, he was Vice President for Special Business Initiatives at Lockheed Martin Corporation.

From 1975 to 1995 he served as a member of U.S. House of Representatives, representing the heart of California 's Silicon Valley . For over 20 years as a member of Congress, Mineta was known for his dedication to the people of his district, for consensus building among his colleagues, and for forging public-private partnerships. Mineta's legislative and policy agenda was wide and varied, including major projects in the areas of economic development, science and technology policy, trade, transportation, the environment, intelligence, the budget, and civil rights. He co-founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served as its first chair.

Mr. Mineta is a former Ranking Democratic Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Public Works and Transportation and served on the committee for more than 20 years. He was committee chair between 1992 and 1994, and he also chaired its aviation subcommittee between 1981 and 1988, and chaired its surface transportation subcommittee from 1989 to 1991.

During his career in Congress, Mineta championed increases in investment for transportation infrastructure and was a key author of the landmark Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. ISTEA shifted decisions on highway and mass transit planning to state and local governments, led to major upsurges in mass transit ridership, and provided for more environmentally friendly transportation elements such as pedestrian and bicycle paths. He also oversaw the deregulation of the airline industry during the 1980s and he pressed for more funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

After leaving the Congress, Mineta chaired the National Civil Aviation Review Commission, which in 1997 issued recommendations on reducing traffic congestion and reducing the aviation accident rate. Many of the commission's recommendations were adopted by the Clinton administration, including reform of the FAA to enable it to perform more like a business.

A native of San José , California , Mineta and his family were among the 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry forced from their homes and into internment camps during World War II. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley , Mineta joined the Army in 1953 and served as an intelligence officer in Japan and Korea . He joined his father in the Mineta Insurance Agency before entering politics in San José , serving as a member of its City Council from 1967 to 1971 and mayor from 1971 to 1974, becoming the first Asian Pacific American mayor of a major U.S. city. As mayor, he favored greater control of transportation decisions by local government, a position he later championed in ISTEA.

While in Congress, Mineta was the driving force behind passage of H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which officially apologized for and redressed the injustices endured by Japanese Americans during the WW II. In 1995, George Washington University awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Medal to Mineta for his contributions to the field of civil rights.

Mineta and his wife Danealia have four sons, David and Stuart Mineta, and Robert and Mark Brantner.