The new year is a time for resolutions and new beginnings. In the transportation world, the beginning of 2026 is a time for new faces leading transportation agencies and associations. The new leaders at transportation agencies in Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City will have an opportunity to shape transportation decisions and also signal the policy goals of incoming elected officials. New leadership at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) take their position as reauthorization discussions gear up. 

Incoming transportation leadership positions 

Katie Thomson, Secretary of Transportation for the State of Maryland 

Nick Donohue, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia 

Kris Kolluri, Executive Director for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority 

Mike Flynn, Department of Transportation Commissioner for New York City 

Russell McMurry, President of AASHTO 

Marc Williams, Vice President of AASHTO 

Maryland- Katie Thomson 

In December 2025, Maryland governor Wes Moore announced that Kathryn “Katie” Thomson would take over as DOT secretary, following former secretary Paul Wiedefeld’s departure from the post in the summer of 2025. Thomson brings to the position years of public and private sector experience, across a variety of disciplines in the transportation space, including familiarity with the DC region. Thomson served as a USDOT legal counsel and as a special advisor for WMATA safety oversight under the Obama administration, providing her with legal knowledge of the transportation space and an understanding of local transportation issues. Thomson also worked in logistics at Amazon and environmental work with a law firm before returning to the public sector as the director of implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act under the Biden administration. Thomson served as deputy administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), working on National Airspace System safety and risk management initiatives, aviation workforce development, and budgeting for the administration.  

Maryland’s complex transportation system will benefit from Thomson legal expertise, understanding of local transportation issues, program implementation, and experience running a large bureaucracy. The state is set to deliver a diverse set of projects across all modes, including investments in light rail in Baltimore city, Prince George’s, and Montgomery counties, the ongoing Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement project, and Bus Rapid Transit projects in Montgomery County.  With a number of major projects and initiatives across the state, Governor Moore was in need of a DOT secretary with diverse set of skills and experience to ensure successful implementation. In a statement following the announcement, Thomson voiced her confidence in leading a complex transportation system.  

Virginia- Nick Donohue 

The 2025 November election produced several major political changes across the country, including in Virginia with Abigail Spanberger’s victory in the state’s governor race. Spanberger’s incoming democratic administration has tapped Nick Donohue as the new transportation secretary. Donohue is a familiar face to Viriginia transportation stakeholders – a Virginia native, he spent many years in senior leadership roles under multiple Virginia governors and served as deputy secretary of transportation. During his time working for the Commonwealth, Donohue worked to secure long-term funding for WMATA, providing support for the public transit system that moves millions around Northern Virginia and the DC region and worked on the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program, which is a series of planned and ongoing construction projects to improve mobility of people and goods along a major freight and passenger corridor in western Virginia. Donohue also played a role in the Transforming Rail in Virginia Initiative, which is set to bring new passenger rail services to Central and Southern Virginia and improvements to existing passenger rail services in Northern Virginia. On the private sector side, Donohue leads a transportation consulting firm in Richmond. 

Donohue brings to the post years of transportation experience, with an intimate knowledge of statewide transportation issues, from major freight corridors to passenger rail. Investments along the I-81 Corridor and new passenger rail projects across the state indicate the state’s efforts in laying the groundwork for successful transportation initiatives. The Spanberger administration has an opportunity to build on ongoing transportation initiatives that improve mobility, expand access to resources, and strengthen economic growth and the new administration noted its confidence in Donohue to achieve these goals.   

New Jersey- Kris Kolluri 

New Jersey’s governor-elect Mikie Sherrill selected Kris Kolluri as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), and he will continue as President and CEO of NJ Transit, a positioned he has held since January 2025. Kolluri has held numerous public sector positions in the Garden State including Commissioner of NJ DOT, South Jersey Transportation Authority Commissioner, Board Chair of NJ Transit and NJTA. He also served as the CEO of the Gateway Development Commission, which was created to oversee major rail rehabilitation projects along the Northeast Corridor between New York and New Jersey. During his time with GDC, Kolluri helped to secure historic federal funding and oversaw the beginning of construction of new heavy rail tunnels under the Hudson River.  

In his new dual role, Kolluri will oversee the day-to-day operations of both agencies. According to the incoming administration, placing Kolluri at the helm of both NJ Transit and the NJTA is an effort to improve coordination between major transportation systems in the state. NJ Transit and the Turnpike are major transportation networks that move hundreds of thousands of people every day within and through the state. The ability to oversee day-to-day operations of both agencies simultaneously is a valuable opportunity to improve daily commutes and promote interoperability between highway and transit networks. New Jersey is also preparing for an influx in travel during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the incoming administration believes that Kolluri’s leadership at both agencies will align the agencies’ priorities to ensure efficient travel in the summer.  

New York City- Mike Flynn 

The 2025 November mayoral election in New York City was a high-profile race that resulted in Zohran Mamdani securing the mayor’s seat.  Several of Mamdani’s campaign promises centered around transportation and affordability issues, including a goal to provide free transit buses. One of Mayor Mamdani’s first moves was to select Mike Flynn as the city DOT’s new commissioner. Flynn is not new to the agency—he previously served as the NYC DOT Director of Capital Planning and Project Management, overseeing major capital street improvement projects including safety projects, bus improvement projects, and bike/pedestrian programs. Flynn also oversaw the development of the city’s first Street Design Manual. Following his time in public service, Flynn worked as the City Solutions Manager for New York for TYLin and Sam Schwartz Consulting, working on shared street projects and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway project. While at Tylin, he also expressed support of and recommendations for NYC’s congestion pricing program, which Mayor Mamdani also supports.. 

In an interview with Streetsblog, Flynn shared that one of his focuses as Commissioner will be on fast, free buses and prioritizing bus projects, a major campaign priority for Mayor Mamdani. In his interview with Streetsblog, Flynn emphasized that ensuring fast and free buses will be important for improving mobility throughout the city. Flynn explained that the guiding principle for his work as commissioner is to aim higher and make bold and ambitious transportation decisions.  

AASHTO- Russell McMurry and Marc Williams 

At the AASHTO 2025 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Russell McMurry and Marc Williams were selected to lead the organization for the upcoming year. Prior to his new role at AASHTO, McMurry served in numerous roles at the Georgia DOT before becoming commissioner in 2015. He has also served as treasurer and chair for numerous groups within AASHTO. McMurry received numerous accolades from the state of Georgia and ITS for his work in promoting intelligent transportation systems. As McMurry steps into his new role as president, he will be taking on several focus areas including working with Congress on developing a comprehensive surface transportation reauthorization, exploring opportunities to improve project delivery, and supporting state DOT efforts to maintain and promote a culture of safety in transportation.  

Williams served in public and private sector roles working on planning and implementation of transportation infrastructure before joining the Texas DOT and later rising to executive director in 2021. Williams voiced his support for AASHTO’s focus areas and pledged to support McMurry’s efforts. Both McMurry and Williams have engineering backgrounds and public sector experience, bringing a combination of technical expertise and political knowledge that allow AASHTO to play a role in surface reauthorization, project delivery, and leverage technology in improving transportation safety.