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Former Vice Chairman Wayne O. Burkes, a Republican from Mississippi, was nominated to the Surface Transportation Board (Board) by President Clinton and was confirmed by the Senate on February 22, 1999, to complete a five-year term expiring December 31, 2002.
At the time of his appointment, Vice Chairman Burkes had served as the Mississippi Transportation Commissioner of the Central District since March, 1989. Before being elected Transportation Commissioner, he served 14 years in the Mississippi Legislature, four years in the House of Representatives and 10 years in the Senate. He served on the Highways and Transportation Committees for all 14 years of his legislative experience. He is a former member of the faculty at Hinds Community College.
A long time Air Force and Air National Guard pilot, he has flown eight different Air Force aircraft for 7,000 flying hours and is a retired Major General from the Mississippi Air National Guard. He is a former President of the National Guard Association of Mississippi and is a life member of the American Legion and VFW.
Vice Chairman Burkes received his B.S., M.Ed., & LL.D. degrees from Mississippi College and the M. Div. Degree from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has done advanced graduate work at the University of Southern Mississippi, and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Pilot Training School, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, the Air University’s Air War College, and the Transportation Executive Institute of the University of Virginia.
