Hedlund named vice chair of STB

Surface Transportation Board member Karen Hedlund has been designated the agency’s vice chairman, the board announced yesterday.

Hedlund succeeds Michelle Schultz, who continues to serve as a board member. The vice chairmanship rotates among the STB's five members on an annual basis.

Hedlund was sworn in Jan. 3 for a term expiring Dec. 31, 2025. The U.S. Senate confirmed her appointment to the board on Dec. 16, 2021.

She previously served as chief counsel and deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration from 2010 to 2014, and chief counsel of the Federal Highway Administration from 2009 to 2010.

After stepping down from the FRA, Hedlund advised governmental authorities and private investors on the development of passenger-rail and transportation-oriented development projects. Prior to joining the FRA, she had a long career as a legal adviser to governmental agencies and private lenders and investors on the development of a broad range of infrastructure projects across the United States, according to her bio on the STB website.