She was born in California and lived with her family in places such as Amman, Jordan, Madrid, Spain, as well as Woodbridge, England and numerous states.

[5] In 1992, she earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and International Studies from Virginia Tech.

While working for Wise, Hersman dealt with a series of coal train derailments near Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

"[5] In 1999, she left Wise's office to join the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

As chairman, Hersman focused on distracted driving, child passenger safety and helping victims and their families.

In 2014 Hersman resigned from the NTSB to become president and CEO of the nonprofit National Safety Council, based in Itasca, Illinois.

The advisory panel was established to provide counsel regarding technology implementation that can save lives and help eliminate preventable fatalities in all modes of transportation.

The Coalition aims to end roadway fatalities within 30 years by a strategy that combines education, engineering, enforcement and emergency medical services.