NDOT director to lead national transportation group

By Kyle B. Hansen

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010 | 4:36 p.m.

The head of the Nevada Department of Transportation has been elected to lead the national organization that represents state transportation agencies.

Susan Martinovich was elected to be the first female president for the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials on Monday.

For the last year, Martinovich has served as the association’s vice president. The new vice president is Kirk T. Steudle, the director of the Michigan Department of Transportation.

This could be an important year for the national transportation organization as Congress is expected to consider a new federal transportation bill.

“Martinovich's single emphasis area during her 2011 term will be advocating for enactment of a well-funded, multi-year and flexible federal surface transportation program,” the association said in a news release.

The association is the liaison between the federal government and the state transportation departments and issues standards for design and construction of highways and bridges.

"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," Martinovich said in a statement. "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."

Gov. Jim Gibbons appointed Martinovich to her state position in January 2007, where she oversees a $675 million annual budget and 1,700 employees. She has worked for the transportation department since 1984.

Martinovich, a native Nevadan, has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UNR and is a licensed professional engineer in Nevada and California.