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Yesterday, Steven Chealander was sworn in as a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member. His term expires Dec. 31, 2007.

Most recently manager of flight operations efficiency for American Airlines, Chealander also has served the air carrier as flight safety manager, chief pilot, captain and pilot.

He previously spent 27 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired in 1991 as a lieutenant colonel. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan chose Chealander as his military aide.

In September 2006, President Bush nominated Chealander to the NTSB to fill a seat vacated by Ellen Engleman Conners, who left the agency in June to become executive vice president and chief executive officer of the Indiana Association of Realtors.

An independent federal agency, the NTSB investigates railroad, aviation, highway, marine and pipeline accidents, and issues safety recommendations.