Krista Edwards, J.D.
Krista joins the Advisory Committee after a career in law and public service. Most recently, Krista held senior positions with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), of the U.S. Department of Transportation. PHMSA is the federal regulatory agency responsible for the safe movement of hazardous materials by rail, air, vessel, highway and pipeline. Krista joined PHMSA as the agency’s first chief counsel in 2006 and later served as deputy administrator and acting administrator.
Prior to joining PHMSA, Krista was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Sidley Austin LLP. She was a member of the firm’s Transportation and Labor & Employment practice groups and represented clients in arbitration, administrative proceedings, federal and state court civil actions, and appeals, with an emphasis on labor-management relations in the railroad industry.
Krista studied Political Science at NIU, earning her BA, summa cum laude, in 1984, with a minor in Women’s Studies. While at NIU, she was active in the Student Association and served as student member of the Illinois Board of Regents. She earned her J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Northwestern University, where she served as articles editor for the Northwestern University Law Review.
