On July 27, Mayor Bruce Harrell will announce his selection for the next director of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) following an extensive national search.  

Mayor Harrell sought a leader for SDOT who will address Seattle’s transportation priorities by leading with equity and climate, elevating community engagement, and maintaining and repairing critical infrastructure. The search process included a robust search committee of local transportation experts including former and current SDOT employees, government partners, advocates, and economic development and community leaders. 

“Seattle deserves a transportation system that is safe, reliable, and equitable, and our SDOT Director is instrumental in implementing that vision. We have an opportunity to appoint a champion for innovative thinking and back-to-basics fixes, a collaborator who builds bridges – and repairs them. I’m thrilled by the quality of candidate this position will attract from around our community and the country. I encourage everyone interested, qualified, and ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work to apply,” said Mayor Harrell. “I want to thank Interim Director Simpson for her strong service to keep critical projects and priorities on track during this transition period and I know she’s excited to help the new director hit the ground running.” 

Mayor Harrell’s search process included a search committee of local transportation experts including former and current SDOT employees, government partners, advocates, and economic development and community leaders. Committee members were selected for their technical expertise and vision, lived experiences with the transportation system, and ability to leverage networks to market the position, collect feedback, and provide information to support the process and selection. 

SDOT Director Search Committee members included: 

• Genesee Adkins, former SDOT Chief of Staff 
• Cassie Chinn, Wing Luke Museum 
• Dr. Anne Goodchild, UW Urban Freight Lab 
• Amy Grotefendt, Transportation Lead, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce 
• Matt Howard, Seattle Department of Transportation 
• Alex Hudson, Transportation Choices Coalition 
• Rob Johnson, NHL Seattle Kraken, former Councilmember
• Steve Kovac, IBEW Local 77 
• Lee Lambert, Cascade Bike Club 
• Geri Poor, Port of Seattle 
• Rizwan Rizwi, Muslim Housing Services 
• Monisha Singh, Chinatown International District Business Improvement Assoc. 
• Yordanos Teferi, SDOT’s Transportation Equity Workgroup 
• Terry White, King County Metro 
• Yu-Ann Youn, SDOT’s Transportation Equity Workgroup, UW student 

The position opened for applicants on April 12, 2022. The search committee will meet for the first time this month and begin considering candidates in May before a final selection is made this summer.   

Filed Under: City Administration, Transportation and Development

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