October WAKE UP! Newport – Cal Trans Update with Director Laurie Berman

Laurie Berman was appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. to be the Director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) beginning in March, 2018. She leads the more than $8 billion organization and nearly 20,000 employees who build, maintain, and operate the 50,000 lane miles of California’s transportation system.

Director Berman has been actively engaged in the implementation of SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act and will seamlessly continue Caltrans’ momentum to deliver SB 1 projects and rebuild California.

Since she started at Caltrans in 1983, Director Berman has held several positions, including acting chief deputy director, San Diego and Imperial county district director, chief deputy district director of project delivery, State Route 125 south toll road corridor project manager, design manager and senior transportation engineer.

Director Berman managed a record level of investment in Imperial County infrastructure from 2009 to 2017 as the district 11 director on the south end of the state. She oversaw the Interstate 5 north coast corridor project groundbreaking, the successful delivery of the State Route 125 public-private partnership project, and improved mobility efforts along the California-Mexico Border.

Director Berman has long been an integral part of a statewide leadership team, working to ensure Caltrans will effectively meet growing transportation demands. In 2012, Berman served on special assignment for an intensive department program review. She shares the vision for a future state transportation system infused with innovation and new technologies that will provide truly multi-modal options to efficiently move people and goods across California.

Berman is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Women’s Transportation Seminar, which honored her as the San Diego chapter’s “Woman of the Year” in 2011. She earned Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1983 at Michigan State University.