Rodney Slater was secretary of transportation during the second Clinton administration (1997-2001).

Slater was born in Marianna, Arkansas, in 1955, graduating from Eastern Michigan University and earning his law degree at the University of Arkansas.

From 1987 to 1992, he was a member of the Arkansas State Highway Commission, chairing the commission in 1992. President Clinton appointed Slater administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, a position he held from 1993 until he was chosen to head the Department of Transportation in 1997.