Getting to know - Ray LaHood
Posted by Brandy Alvarado on Sun, Jan 25, 2009 @ 03:11 PM
This past week we not only welcomed in a new president, but a new head to the Deparment of Transportation (DOT). Ray LaHood was official as of Friday, January 23rd and A far cry from his prior stint as a social science teacher, LaHood is set to tackle the public works program set in place by the new administration in addition to overseeing the department’s mission to, “Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future,” (http://www.dot.gov/about_dot.html#whatwedo.)
A little bit of background….
A representative from Illinois who was born in Peoria, Peoria County, Ill., December 6, 1945 - LaHood graduated from Spalding High School, Chicago, Ill. and attended Spoon River Community College, Canton, Ill. and eventually earned his B.S. at Bradley University.
In 1971, LaHood began work as a teacher and then moved on to a director position in Rock Island County with the Youth Services Bureau. From 1972-1974 LaHood served as chief planner in the Bi-States Metropolitan Planning Commission beginning his work in the political realm. The next two years brough work as aide to United States Representative Thomas F. Railsback of Illinois. The DOT provides a snapshot of the rest: 1977-1982; member of the Illinois state house of representatives, 1982-1983; aide to United States Representative Robert H. Michel of Illinois, 1983-1994; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Fourth and to the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1995-January 3, 2009); was not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Eleventh Congress in 2008.