Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, vice chairman of the NTSB.
Published on May 6, 2025 at 2:47 pm
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Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown is out as vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, less than five months after President Joe Biden appointed him.
A Washington, D.C., official with knowledge of the situation confirmed that Brown, a Democrat, no longer holds that position.
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No explanation has been given for Brown’s removal. His biography has been deleted from the NTSB’s website.
Brown became the latest person that President Donald Trump has dismissed from independent U.S. government agencies. Since January, the president has fired two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commision, as well as members of the National Labor Relations Board, Merit Systems Protection Board and Federal Election Commission, according to Reuters News Service.
Brown’s departure comes amid heightened concern about aviation safety after the mid-air collision between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on Jan. 29.
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The NTSB investigates civil aviation accidents as well as major incidents on highways, railroad lines, oceans and waterways, determining probable causes as well as issuing safety recommendations.
Brown was confirmed as the 47th board member of the independent agency last March and was to remain in the post through 2026, according to an NTSB news release about his appointment.
The former mayor had lengthy service in federal agencies before his election locally.
He began his career as a senior member of the White House leadership team under President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, advising them on domestic issues. Brown also served as executive director of the White House Community Empowerment Board and was a senior adviser to former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown.
After his term as mayor from 2011 to 2015, Brown served as a senior adviser for community infrastructure opportunities for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
