The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved the nomination of Joel Szabat to become assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs at the Department of Transportation.
His nomination will now move to the full Senate for a vote.
Szabat currently serves as the DOT’s deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Aviation and International Affairs, a position he assumed in January. Before that, he was executive director of the Maritime Administration and chief of staff for the Small Business Administration.
In 2009, he was credited with successfully overseeing DOT’s $48.1 billion share of the Recovery Act. In 2005, he was in charge of the U.S. government’s reconstruction of Iraqi airports, ports and railroads.
Szabat joined the federal government in 2002 after serving in the Army.