Biography provided by participant

In January of 2003, Frank Busalacchi accepted Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's appointment to be Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Busalacchi was formerly the secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 200 based in Milwaukee, one of the largest Teamster locals in the state. He began with the Teamsters as a business agent in 1979 and was elected president in 1991 and secretary-treasurer in 1994. Secretary Busalacchi leads one of the largest state agencies with over 3,300 employees. WisDOT's annual budget of nearly $3 billion includes support for all modes of transportation, including state highways, local roads, railroads, public transit systems, airports, harbors and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The department also operates the Division of Motor Vehicles and Division of State Patrol. Secretary Busalacchi led the state's efforts to rebuild the Marquette Interchange Project in downtown Milwaukee. Completed in 2008, the $810 million project was the largest highway construction job ever in Wisconsin. The Secretary also plays a leading role in national passenger rail issues. In 2005, he accepted the post as chair of the States for Passenger Rail Coalition, an alliance of state DOT's calling for expanded federal support of intercity passenger rail. Secretary Busalacchi has testified to Congress about the importance of passenger rail and is working to improve existing Amtrak service and plan for new high-speed rail service in Wisconsin. Secretary Busalacchi served as a member of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. The commission studied the current condition of the surface transportation system, identified future needs and developed financing recommendations. The Commission submitted its report and recommendations to Congress in January 2008. Secretary Busalacchi has a long-time commitment to improving Wisconsin. He was president of the Summerfest Board of Directors and chair of the negotiating committee responsible for the lease between Milwaukee World Festivals and the city of Milwaukee. He also served as the construction committee chairman for the Miller Park Baseball Stadium construction project. He was a member of the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission advisory committee to the southeast freeway study and a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee.