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Tony Furst portrait

Tony Furst

Freight, Safety, and Innovation Consultant

Tony has 20+ years of executive level experience leading national level programs in freight operations and management, safety, and deploying innovative technologies and practices. Serving in positions of increasing scope and responsibility, he is experienced in establishing and implementing strategic direction, collaboratively engaging partners and stakeholders, solving complex problems across public and private organizations, developing and implementing programs and policy, and in risk-based, system-level decision making.

From 2016 to 2020 Tony was the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Chief Innovation Officer (CINO). In that capacity he was responsible for the leadership, direction and success of programs and activities that managed $50M in research, education, training and deployment funds to develop and deploy innovative technologies and practices in innovative finance, project and program delivery, workforce development, and local public agency and tribal government training and technical assistance. He championed the use of criteria (technology readiness levels) to ensure that technologies and practices that were moving along the continuum from conception to implementation were objectively evaluated for their deployment readiness to ensure the innovations were market ready before being deployed through national programs. Prior to being the CINO, Tony was FHWA’s Acting Executive Director where he oversaw the implementation of the $40B annual Federal-aid highway program through a national workforce of 2,900 with Offices in each of the 50 states and set priorities and managed the allocation of an operations account of $400M. In concert with the FHWA Administrator (CEO), he established the strategic direction and priorities for the Agency and then ensured those priorities were executed.

Education

  • MBA ‐ University of Washington, 1996
  • B.S. – Marine Biology, Florida State University, 1983

Skills & Specializations

  • Strategic direction
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Public/private solutions
  • Program/policy development
  • Risk-based, system-level decision making

Projects

No projects listed

Honours & Awards

  • Presidential Meritorious Executive Award – 2015
  • USCG Meritorious Service Medal - 2000
  • Top Secret Security Clearance

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