Tara Leystra Ackerman is the state and local government affairs specialist for the NTSB. She is an experienced government affairs professional, with over 15 years of experience working with government officials on transportation safety and healthcare initiatives. In her current role, she manages the NTSB’s relationships with state and local officials and agencies and monitors state legislative activities related to the agency’s recommendations. This includes focusing on state legislative activity around NTSB’s recommendations addressing impaired driving, which covers ignition interlocks, lowering the legal blood alcohol content limit and multi-substance impaired driving. She collaborates with other NTSB offices to coordinate state legislative efforts and supports investigations and report writing through research and analysis.

In her previous role at the National Safety Council, Tara led state lobbying efforts, focusing on eliminating motor vehicle crashes, fighting the opioid overdose epidemic, and improving workplace safety, focusing on ensuring employers could ensure impairment free workplaces.  

Prior to joining NSC, Tara was a state affairs associate at the American College of Surgeons. In this role, she advocated for policies to improve trauma care, prevent injuries, and ensure patient access to quality surgical care.

She graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, and later received her Master of Public Health from The George Washington University. She currently lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and two daughters.