A Conversation with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

When Secretary Pete Buttigieg first joined us at the City Club in 2019, he was \"Mayor Pete\" of South Bend, Indiana, and already emerged as one of the nation\'s most visionary politicians. In 2021, he was sworn in as the nation\'s 19th Secretary of Transportation and is the first openly gay person confirmed to serve in a president\'s Cabinet. During his tenure as Secretary, he has worked to achieve organizational excellence in the department's operations, and his focus as Secretary has been to deliver the world's leading transportation system for the American people and economy.\r\n\r\nIn his first year at the Department, he prioritized supporting the development and passage of President Biden's signature Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Since the law's passage, Secretary Buttigieg and his team have focused on effectively delivering the investments provided by this legislation, enabling the most significant improvements in U.S. transportation infrastructure in over half a century.\r\n\r\nSecretary Buttigieg served for seven years as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, taking a leave of absence from the mayor's office for a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. He lives in Traverse City, MI with his husband Chasten, their two children, Gus and Penelope, and their dog.