Roger Millar, who had been serving in an acting capacity since February, was named secretary of Washington state’s Department of Transportation by Gov. Jay Inslee on Aug. 9.
Millar had been deputy secretary prior to assuming the acting role when Lynn Peterson’s appointment was rejected by the Senate.
“Roger has proven to be a well-respected leader with an impressive ability to bring people together and find sensible solutions to difficult problems,” Inslee said in announcing Millar’s permanent promotion.
Sen. Curtis King and Rep. Judy Clibborn, who lead the Transportation Committees in their respective chambers, also are happy that Millar is in charge at WSDOT.
“Based upon his performance as acting secretary, I am pleased Secretary Millar has been appointed by the governor and look forward to working with him," King said.
"I have been very impressed by Roger's leadership at WSDOT and have full confidence he will be able to deliver the many safety and traffic relief projects included in the recent bipartisan transportation investment package," Clibborn added.
WSDOT has 6,800 employees with responsibility for 18,600 lane miles of highway, 3,800 bridges, general aviation airports, passenger- and freight-rail programs, and Washington State Ferries, the nation's largest ferry system.
“We're happy about Roger Millar's permanent appointment,” Sheri Call, executive vice president of Washington Trucking Associations, told Transport Topics. “His presence as the head of WSDOT has brought dignity to the office of the secretary.
“"Roger has also been participating as an active Freight Mobility Board member. His predecessor had a seat on the board but did not attend meetings and rarely participated in the board's activities. We fellow board members appreciate his presence at the table.”
Millar has nearly 40 years of experience in transportation and planning in the public and private sectors. From 2000 to 2014, the civil engineering graduate of the University of Virginia served on the American Society of Civil Engineers Committee for America’s Infrastructure. He has won national, state and local awards for planning and project delivery.
