William (Will) P. Sears, 48, former FTA chief counsel and founder of the transportation consulting company the Peterson Group, died Nov. 28.

President George W. Bush appointed Sears to his FTA post in 2001. Sears founded the Peterson Group in 2005, where he provided strategic and tactical advice for rail, bus, and other public transit clients and represented their interests before Congress and the administration. For a time, he supported Martin G. Hamberger & Associates in representing APTA.

In his early career on Capitol Hill, Sears worked for former Rep. Robert Walker (R-PA) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA). He earned his law degree at Washington and Lee University.