Shortly before the start of its August break, the Senate confirmed James S. Simpson, a former New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member, to head the Federal Transit Administration.

Simpson, who was confirmed to the FTA post on Aug.3, has been chairman and CEO of Victory Worldwide Transportation Inc., a moving company based in Staten Island. He was a New York MTA director from 1995 to 2005.

President Bush nominated Simpson in January to be FTA administrator. He succeeds Jennifer Dorn, who left the agency last year to be the U.S. alternate executive director at the World Bank.