Forston assumes NMB chairmanship

(Source: National Mediation Board press release, July 1, 2020)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Mediation Board (NMB) is pleased to announce that Ms. Kyle Fortson has been named Chairman of the National Mediation Board, effective July 1, 2020. Mr. Gerald Fauth, III and Ms. Linda Puchala remain as Members of the Board.

Ms. Kyle Fortson was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 2, 2017. She previously served as Chairman from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

Since joining the Board, Ms. Fortson has worked to successfully resolve mediation cases of national importance. As Board Member and Chairman, Ms. Fortson has emphasized reducing the long-standing backlog of arbitration cases and, during her tenure, the caseload has been reduced by nearly 60 percent. Ms. Fortson also implemented a realignment of the agency structure to enhance and modernize support services.

Immediately prior to joining the NMB, Ms. Fortson served as Labor Policy Director for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, working directly for the Chairman, Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. As Labor Policy Director, Ms. Fortson was responsible for all labor, employment and workplace safety issues in the Committee’s jurisdiction. Ms. Fortson also worked for previous Republican HELP Committee leaders: Senator Mike Enzi and Senator Judd Gregg. Before moving to the Senate, she served as Counsel to a member of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.

She is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder and the George Washington University School of Law, and hails from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Monday, July 6, 2020