Loren A. Smith, Jr. is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation. In that role he provides support and coordination to policy initiatives across the Department.

Before returning to DOT in January, Loren spent four years as President of Skyline Policy Risk Group, a research and consulting firm specializing in supply chain issues.

Loren previously worked at the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2017-2021, rising to be Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy. In that era of DOT service, his work included serving as DOT’s Chief Environmental Review Permitting Officer; chair of the management team for the ROUTES Initiative on rural transportation; policy lead on accessibility for persons with disabilities; and member of the task force on regulatory reform, including leading efforts on supersonic aviation. During the 2016-2017 presidential transition, he led the policy and landing teams for the U.S. Department of Labor.

From 2009-2016, Loren was an analyst for Capital Alpha Partners, a D.C.-based research firm that studies public policy for investors. He specialized in transportation policy, particularly relating to autos and infrastructure, and published more than 500 research notes.

Loren previously served at the U.S. Department of Labor and as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. Before that, he worked for several public policy-focused non-profit organizations. He is a graduate of Boston College, and lives in Virginia with his wife and their nine fantastic children.