MSHA finally has a new leader. On March 29, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed by voice vote Christopher Williamson (Williamson) as Assistant Secretary for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) at the Department of Labor. Williamson most recently has held the position of Senior Counsel to Chairman Lauren McFerran of the National Labor Relations Board (Board). He previously served in the Obama Administration as a junior political appointee to the Assistant Secretary for MSHA for one year.
Williamson, a West Virginia native, served in the U.S. Senate as Labor Counsel to Chairman Tom Harkin on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Joe Manchin, III of West Virginia.