K. Jane Williams

K. Jane Williams is currently the Acting Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Ms. Williams brings over 20 years of executive experience to her role, having served previously at the Department of Energy and Department of Labor under President Reagan and the Department of Interior under President George H.W. Bush.

Ms. Williams leads an agency of more than 500 people located in Washington D.C. and 10 regional offices across the country. She is responsible for managing an annual budget of over $13 billion that assists over 3,000 transit providers in all U.S. states and territories. The FTA is one of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s nine operating administrations and provides financial and technical assistance to local public transit systems, including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys and ferries.

Since joining FTA in August 2017, Ms. Williams has focused on implementing Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao’s three priorities of safety, infrastructure investment and innovation in all of FTA’s programs and initiatives. Under her tenure, FTA certified all 31 states with rail transit for safety oversight responsibilities – including the certification of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC), allowing FTA to transfer direct safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metrorail system to the WMSC.

In addition to annual formula programs totaling approximately $10 billion supporting transit nationwide, she has provided approximately $7.63 billion for 25 new projects under the Capital Investment Grants program. She also has overseen the agency’s programs to advance innovation throughout the transportation industry, including an initiative that focuses on new public transportation service models, integrated payment systems and automation to improve mobility for all Americans.