Inland Northwest Regional Transportation Summit Speakers

Frank Mulvey

Frank MulveyFrancis P. Mulvey was nominated by President Bush to the Surface Transportation Board and sworn in as a Member of the Board on June 2, 2004. At the time of his appointment, Mulvey was Staff Director for the Railroad Subcommittee and Staff Director for Pipelines and Hazardous Materials for the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He was responsible for all railroad legislative matters for the Ranking Democratic Member of the Committee and served as advisor to the Ranking Member on overall transportation policy issues.

In addition, he has served as an Adjunct Faculty member at the R.H. Smith School of Business and Public Administration, Univ. of Maryland. He has also taught economics and statistics at Northeastern University, Wheaton College, and Bowling Green State University.

Commissioner Mulvey holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Washington State University (1974); a B.S. in Economics from New York University (1966); and an M.A. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley (1968).


Tom Fitzsimmons

Tom Fitzsimmons is Governor Gregoire’s Chief of Staff. A position he has held since the beginning of her term. Previously, he was Director of the Washington State Department of Ecology from 1997 to 2005.

Tom also served as Chief Administrative Officer for Thurston County, Washington from 1986-1997 and has owned and managed a consulting firm focused on management and training, planning and community and economic development for tribal governments. He was granted a Master in Public Administration degree from Seattle University in 1979.


Mary Peters

Mary Peters was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 15th Secretary of Transportation on September 30, 2006, after spending more than two decades crafting solutions to our nation’s toughest transportation challenges.

Secretary Peters brings a unique perspective to her role as the nation’s transportation chief, having spent her career working on transportation issues in the private and public sectors, including leading both federal and state transportation agencies. She led the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) from 2001 to 2005, where she emphasized finding new ways to invest in road and bridge construction, including public-private partnerships that help build roads faster and at less expense. She also was a strong advocate for using new technology to reduce construction time, saving taxpayer money and resulting in safer, longer-lasting roads and highways.

From 1985 to 2001, she served in the Arizona Department of Transportation, working her way up through the ranks from contract administrator to Director of the Agency.


Bob Drewel

Bob Drewel is the Executive Director of the Puget Sound Regional Council. The PSRC serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Regional Transportation Planning Organization for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties and cities and it supports the work of the Central Puget Sound Economic Development District through a merger that took effect in 2003.

Bob Drewel served 12 years as Snohomish County Executive, being elected to that position in November 1991.

He is well known for his leadership in promoting regional solutions to the many challenges facing the Northwest, including economic development, effective land-use regulation, transportation, and environmental enhancement. He also is known for building partnerships between the private and public sectors based on shared visions for a healthy and vigorous community.

His leadership history includes a term as past president of the Puget Sound Regional Council, as chairman of Sound Transit, and as president and chief executive officer of Everett Community College.


Tim Farrell

Tim Farrell, Executive Director of the Port of Tacoma, came to the Port in 2000 as Deputy Executive Director. Before coming to Tacoma, he worked for the Port of Seattle and the Massachusetts Port Authority. A native of Falmouth, Massachusetts, he earned his Bachelor’s degree at Middlebury College and received his Master’s degree in Port and Marine Transportation Management at the University of Washington.

Among many boards and commissions that he serves on, he is a member of:

  • Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma
  • University of Washington-Tacoma Advisory Board
  • University of Washington-Seattle Global Trade, Transportation and Logistics
    Advisory Board
  • Washington State China Relations Council
  • Economic Development Board of Tacoma-Pierce County