Michelle Schultz was sworn in Monday as the newest member of the Surface Transportation Board.

Her appointment follows that of Robert Primus, who was sworn in last week.

Schultz’s appointment enables the board to have five members, which is the full complement of members that STB can have under federal guidelines. Until now, the board hasn’t had five members since federal law changed the membership roster in 2015 from three board members to five. Having five members enables board members to meet in private and discuss matters, according to federal law.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Schultz’s nomination on Nov. 18.

Schultz has been with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) for 14 years, serving most recently as its deputy general counsel. Schultz has also served as director of SEPTA legislative affairs and she represented SEPTA before the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association and the Keystone Transportation Funding Coalition.

Prior to SEPTA, Schultz was an associate with White and Williams LLP, where she represented businesses from diverse industries with a focus on financial matters including bankruptcy, commercial litigation and collection, according to STB. She also was a judicial law clerk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and she was a judicial law clerk for the late Vincent A. Cirillo, president judge emeritus of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

Schultz has a master’s degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from Widener University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University. She is licenced to practice law in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, STB said.

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