Joseph C. Szabo was selected unanimously after a national search by the agency's board, which is appointed by elected leaders from across the seven counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. He will be responsible for operations of CMAP, which has state and federal mandates for regional integration of planning for land use, transportation, and related factors that shape quality of life and economic prosperity.

Szabo has varied experience in local, state, federal governments, civic affairs, and transportation. Prior to joining CMAP as a senior fellow in January, Szabo had served 2009-15 as the twelfth Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). He led a staff of over 900 professionals located in Washington, DC, and at field offices across the nation as the first FRA head to come from the ranks of rail workers, having served as a conductor and switchman with the Illinois Central Railroad and Metra, where his father Joseph F. Szabo also worked for 40 years.  Read more in a press release.