On October 14th, Speaker of the United States House of Representative, Nancy Pelosi swore in Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr. as the Federal Maritime Commission's 18th Chairman. President Barack Obama had designated then-Commissioner Lidinsky as Chairman on September 11th.
Chairman Lidinsky stated, "I am most grateful to the President for his confidence in naming me to lead this important Agency. We are hard at work on helping our industry through this time of economic crisis and are putting programs in place to assist all sectors of the maritime community in green port jobs, as well as further strengthening protections for our American consumers."
The event was attended by various government dignitaries, members of the Federal Maritime Commission, close friends, and family. Following the swearing in, a reception was held in the Commission's Main Hearing Room for Commission staff and members of the Washington, DC maritime community.