Susan Martinovich, P.E., was elected president of the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on Nov. 1, and Kirk T. Steudle, P.E., director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) was elected vice president.
Martinovich, the 2010 AASHTO vice president and AASHTO's first female president, is director of the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), where she has worked for more than 26 years. As AASHTO president, Martinovich's single emphasis area during her 2011 term will be advocating for enactment of a well-funded, multiyear and flexible federal surface transportation program.
"The legislation that supports our federal highway and transit programs expired more than a year ago, and a new bill has not been approved by Congress," said Martinovich. "There's a genuine sense of concern among state DOT leaders that, without passage of a new bill, states cannot move forward with many of the long-term projects that create and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs, improve the economy and decrease traffic congestion."
Martinovich was appointed NDOT director in January 2007. She is responsible for the daily operations of the agency, which has an operating budget of more than $700 million and 1,700 employees.
Martinovich earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is a licensed professional engineer in the states of Nevada and California. Prior to her appointment as director, Martinovich held a variety of positions with the department beginning in 1984. She worked her way up through the organization, primarily specializing in engineering, bridge design and project development.
Martinovich also is involved in national activities in the areas of project management, safety and research. She is a member of the executive committee for the Transportation Research Board, and she has served on many AASHTO committees, including the Standing Committee on Research and the Standing Committee on Traffic Safety.
Kirk T. Steudle began his career with MDOT in 1987. As a registered professional engineer, Steudle has been engaged in all aspects of Michigan transportation. He was appointed state transportation director on March 4, 2006.
Steudle administers the department's multimodal transportation programs, including nearly 10,000 miles of state trunkline and 4,400 state highway bridges. MDOT currently has 2,800 employees statewide.
A graduate of Lawrence Technological University, Steudle earned a bachelor of science degree in construction engineering. He also served on the Essexville city council from 1995 to 1999.
Currently he chairs the AASHTO Standing Committee on Performance Management and the Subcommittee on Asset Management and also serves on the executive committee.
