Samuel G Bonasso, a former secretary of transportation for West Virginia, has been named deputy administrator of the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), according to Department of Transportation (DOT) information.
"Sam is the ideal selection for this important position," said DOT Secretary Norman Mineta. "RSPA will be able to draw on his wealth of experience as a past state transportation secretary, an entrepreneur, and a professional engineer."
As deputy administrator of RSPA, Bonasso will have responsibilities for safe and secure movement of hazardous materials to industry and consumers by all transportation modes, including pipelines; rapid response to emergencies by government agencies; training for transportation safety professionals; and applying science and technology to meet national transportation needs.
Bonasso has more than 35 years of experience as a professional engineer, as an adjunct professor of civil engineering at West Virginia University. He was West Virginia’s secretary of transportation from 1998 to 2000, having responsibility for seven agencies, boards, and commissions with authority across all major modes of transportation.
Bonasso began his career as a professional engineer in 1967 and was president and founder of Ski Lift International, a ski lift manufacturing and construction company. Later, he was president, founder and managing principal of Alpha Associates, a regional architectural and engineering design firm in Morgantown WV. Bonasso received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Miami in 1962 and a master’s degree in civil engineering from West Virginia University in 1964. Most recently, he was chairman of Literati Information Technology, a West Virginia consulting firm.