Mr. Edward J. Fitzmaurice, Jr., became Chairman of the National Mediation Board, effective July 1, 2006. Chairman Fitzmaurice, a Member of the National Mediation Board since August 2, 2002, also served as Chairman from July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004. He was nominated to the NMB by President Bush on November 9, 2001, and confirmed by the United States Senate on August 2, 2002.

After graduating from Villanova University, Mr. Fitzmaurice served four and a half years as an Officer of Marines. He was designated a Naval Aviator, and served in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam as a Captain and Aircraft Commander, receiving several decorations including the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and 11 strike/flight Air Medals, the Presidential Unit Citation and Navy Unit Commendation.

Upon release from active duty, Mr. Fitzmaurice became a pilot for Braniff International and served as a domestic and international Captain, Co-Pilot, and Flight Engineer.

Simultaneously with piloting for Braniff, he attended the Southern Methodist University School of Law and was licensed by the State Bar of Texas in 1971. Mr. Fitzmaurice is admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.

He was an associate with the firm of Kern, Wooley and Maloney representing Underwriters at Lloyd's in aviation-related matters and was Of Counsel to the labor law firm of James L. Hicks and Associates, both in Dallas, Texas.

Mr. Fitzmaurice and his wife Marcia have two grown children; daughter Carey is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., and son Evan is an attorney with Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum & Morris, P.C.