SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD

Board Members

The Board is authorized to have five members, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, each with a five-year term of office.  Information on previous Board Members can be found here.

Chairman – Patrick J. Fuchs

Patrick Fuchs was designated as Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board by President Donald J. Trump, effective January 20, 2025. He was first sworn in on January 17, 2019, as a Member of the Board and was re-confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 14, 2024. His second term expires on January 14, 2029.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Fuchs was a senior professional staff member working on surface transportation and maritime issues for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation under the leadership of Chairman John Thune of South Dakota.

Mr. Fuchs has played an integral role in the development and enactment of major railroad legislation, including the 2015 reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Board, the first since the agency’s creation in 1996.  He also worked on legislation to improve infrastructure project delivery, railroad financing, and transportation safety, all of which were enacted as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), the five-year, $305 billion surface transportation authorization.

Mr. Fuchs helped develop and enact the first reauthorization of the National Transportation Safety Board in over a decade. He also worked on legislation to increase safety by addressing opioid abuse in transportation, reforms that were enacted as part of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. His work also includes reauthorization of the Federal Maritime Commission as well as three reauthorizations of the Maritime Administration, enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Acts for Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Prior to serving Chairman Thune, Mr. Fuchs was a policy analyst and Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where he managed railroad and maritime regulatory reviews.  During his time at OMB, he worked on regulations pertaining to railroad technology, railroad operating practices, and transportation safety and security, among other issues.  His experience also includes time with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Government Accountability Office, and the National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education.

A Wisconsin native, Mr. Fuchs graduated with distinction in economics and political science and earned an M.P.A. from the University of Wisconsin.

Member – Michelle A. Schultz

Michelle Schultz was sworn in on January 11, 2021, as a new member of the Surface Transportation Board.  Michelle was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 18, 2020.  Michelle was named Vice Chairman of the Board on January 22, 2025, and previously served as Vice Chairman from February 2022 to January 2023.

For the previous 14 years, Michelle served in various leadership roles with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), which serves the public transportation needs of over one million daily riders in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. She is regarded as a leading lawyer and policy professional in the public transportation space. Most recently, Michelle served as SEPTA’s Deputy General Counsel, where her responsibilities included: representing the agency before the Federal Railroad Administration and Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission; serving as lead counsel on a major railroad reconstruction project; overseeing compliance, regulatory, and legislative issues; and, serving as lead counsel on real estate transactions and contract negotiations.

During her time with SEPTA, Michelle also served as the Director of Legislative Affairs where she managed a team of public policy professionals who advocated for SEPTA on the local, state and federal level. She was also responsible for reviewing legislation and regulations at the local, state and federal level for impact to SEPTA as well as drafting provisions. Michelle served as SEPTA’s representative to the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association and the Keystone Transportation Funding Coalition.

Early in her career, Michelle was an associate with White and Williams LLP where she represented businesses from diverse industries with a focus on financing matters including Chapter 7 and 11 bankruptcy, commercial litigation, and collection matters. Prior her time in private practice, she served as a judicial law clerk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and prior to that, as a judicial law clerk for the late Vincent A. Cirillo, President Judge Emeritus of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

Schultz obtained a Master of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania; a Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law; and a Bachelor of Arts from the Pennsylvania State University. She is licensed to practice law in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Member – Karen J. Hedlund

Karen J. Hedlund was sworn in on January 3, 2022, as a Member of the Board for a term of office expiring on December 31, 2025, following her confirmation by the United States Senate on December 16, 2021.  Karen was named Vice Chairman of the Board on January 9, 2023 and on January 9, 2024.

Karen served in the Obama Administration as Chief Counsel of the Federal Highway Administration from 2009 to 2010, and as Chief Counsel and Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration from 2010 to 2014.  Since stepping down from that position, Karen has advised governmental authorities and private investors on the development of passenger rail and transportation-oriented development projects.

Prior to joining the FRA, Karen had a long career as a legal advisor to governmental agencies and private lenders and investors on the development of a broad range infrastructure projects across the United States, including rail, transit, highways, airports, water and energy facilities. She practiced with leading national law firms in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Karen is a graduate of Harvard University (AB) and Georgetown University Law Center (JD). Karen has two children and two grandchildren in Brooklyn, New York, who love to ski and hike with her near her home in Colorado.