
Meet Our Leadership
Career Highlights
2023 - Present
College Park, MD
Adjunct Professor
The University of Maryland, School of Public Policy
2011-2014
Washington, D.C.
Associate Administrator of Rulemaking
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
2010-2011
Washington, D.C.
Congressional Fellow
U.S. House of Representatives
2008-2011
Washington, D.C.
Office of Hazardous Materials
Federal Aviation Administration
2007-2008
Washington, D.C.
Deputy Executive Director
National Surface Transportation Policy & Revenue Study Commissions
2005-2008
Washington, D.C.
2003-2003
Washington, D.C.
1987-1991
Multiple Locations
Special Assistant to the Administrator
Federal Railroad Administration
DC Congressional Fellow
United States Senate
Aviation Ordinance Munitions
United States Marine Corps
Education
Doctorate of Engineering from Pennsylvania State University (expected 2027)
Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on Finance, Marketing, and Innovation from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (2017)
Master of Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University (1995)
Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University (1993)
Professional Affiliations
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE),
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Technical Chair of Washington, DC Section, Immediate Past Chair of Washington, DC Section
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Chair of Washington, DC Section
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Vice Chair of Washington, DC Section
MemberOperation Life Saver (OLI) Certified Volunteer who provides safety presentations
Areas of Specialization

Publications &
Selected Presentations
Use of Accident Data for Litigation Purposes – DRI’s Product Liability Conference, Nashville, TN, August 2021 (presentation & Abstract)
Autonomuous Vehicles Overview – Insurance Value Proposition speech at Lloyds of London, London, UK, November 2019
Bonanti, Christopher, “The NHTSA Decision Tree and Its Effects on Biomechanics Analysis in the NCAP Program,” February 2017
Chapman, David A., Bonanti, Christopher J. “After the Call: Post-Accident FMCSA and NTSB Inquiries,” In Transit, The Newsletter of the Trucking Law Committee, Vol 20, Issue 1, March 2017.
Bonanti, C.J., "FAA's Hazardous Materials Compliance & Enforcement Program," American Bar Association, Transportation Committee Quarterly, Winter 2009, Vol. 2, No.1.
Bonanti, C.J., "A Methodology for Predicting the Acute Toxicity Dosage of a Fatal Chemical Exposure, Utilizing Risk Assessment Algorithms," The Pennsylvania State University Library, December 1995.
NHTSA’s School Bus Standards and Safety Programs, presented at the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, School Bus Summit, Washington, DC, December 2013
Your Other Full-Time Job: Keeping up with Changing Safety Regulations, presented at the American Trucking Association Annual Conference, October 2013
Rulemaking in the United States, presented at the ESV conference, Soul Korea, May 2013
Motor Carrier Regulatory Summary, presented at the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, April 2013
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and How They Can be Benchmarked to Military Vehicles, presented at the Reliability, Maintainability and Supportability Partnership DOD/DOT workshop, Springfield, VA, September 2012
World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), representing the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission of Europe) presented at the inaugural Global NCAP meeting, Malaysia, May 2012
Current NHTSA Regulatory Issues with Tires, presented at the Clemson Tire Industry Conference, April 2012
Briefing for the NAS Committee on the Assessment of Technologies for Improving Fuel Economy of Light-Duty Vehicles – Phase 2, presented at the National Academy of Science, Washington, DC, March 2012

Other Research Contributions & Seminars
Hazardous Material/Waste Transportation Safety – Its Effect on the Environment,
Proceedings of the Air & Waste Management Association's Annual Conference, June
1998.
Selection of Emission Monitoring Systems for Open Burning/Open Detonation Facilities,
Proceedings of the American Defense Preparedness Association's 1997 Hazardous
Materials and Waste Management Conference and Exhibition, Portland, OR, January
1997.
Predicting Acute Toxic Exposures from Accidental Releases, Proceedings of the Air &
Waste Management Association's Annual Conference, June 1996.
Bioremediation of Trinitrotoluene (TNT), presented at the 1995 Annual Meeting of
A&WMA Conference, San Antonio, TX, June 1995.

Biography
As the CEO of the Baluster Group, a boutique consulting firm, he and his staff focus on management, engineering, and regulatory and compliance consulting. Previously, he was a Director and Senior Managing Consultant at a major consulting firm in D.C. focused on regulatory and compliance matters and their integration into the management and business sectors of transportation. He also recently served as the Director for Environmental Planning at All Aboard Florida, now Brightline/Virgin Rail, where he was accountable for the management, technical, and strategic direction of the company’s environmental regulatory strategy, schedule, mitigation and permitting processes. As a former member of the U.S. Senior Executive Service (SES) and the Associate Administrator for Rulemaking at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mr. Bonanti was the senior executive responsible for developing, writing and implementing rules, regulations, and standards for all ground transportation vehicles sold within the U.S., including the auto, trucking, motor coach, and motorcycle industries. These regulations included all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), and the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standard regulations for automobiles and light trucks, as well as, fuel efficiency standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks. Mr. Bonanti was responsible for moving the Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication research and agency’s regulations forward as well as coauthored the agency’s original autonomous vehicle policy and guidance for the United States. He also served as Head of the U.S. Delegation to United Nations World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations. Previous work experience included serving as the Director for the Office of Hazardous Materials at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as a staff member on Committees of both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, as a Special Assistant to the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), as Deputy Executive Director for the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, and as an investigator-in-charge (IIC) at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). He is also a former U.S. Marine and served during Desert Shield.



