| RELEASE: CONTACT: |
IMMEDIATE Britt Drewes 804-225-4491 Britt.Drewes@vdot.virginia.gov Joan Morris 703-383-2465 Joan.Morris@vdot.virginia.gov |
CO-0790 Dec. 17, 2007 |
MORTEZA SALEHI NAMED VDOT’S NORTHERN VIRGINIA DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR
VDOT Veteran Leader Brings International Experience to the Job
RICHMOND – Morteza Salehi has been named to lead the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) Northern Virginia District, effective Monday, Dec. 17, 2007.
Salehi, an 18-year VDOT veteran, had served as the district’s acting administrator since late July.
Prior to that assignment, he served as VDOT’s Culpeper District administrator and held other VDOT leadership positions.
“I am very pleased that we can continue to draw on Morteza’s considerable talent, engineering expertise, academic acumen and international experience in this highly demanding leadership position,” VDOT Commissioner David S. Ekern said. “He has planned, developed and led multi-modal transportation projects in the Middle East and in various posts in Virginia. He knows Northern Virginia’s people and transportation issues very well. Morteza brings a great combination of wisdom and energy to the table.”
As district administrator, Salehi will direct approximately 1,000 employees and be responsible for more than 4,000 miles of roads in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties.
The district staff also supports highway functions in nine cities and towns in the area.
He will direct VDOT staff and consultants involved in the development of the I-495 and I-95/395 High Occupancy Toll lane projects, as well as several billion-dollar “mega” transportation projects in the Northern Virginia area.
He will also serve as VDOT’s representative to the new Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board.
Before immigrating to the U.S. in 1981, Salehi held progressively responsible positions in transportation policy and investment programs and projects, ultimately serving as Iran’s secretary of transportation.
Among his responsibilities were overseeing multimodal transportation agencies and active involvement in the feasibility study, design and development of Tehran’s Metro system.
Before becoming VDOT’s Culpeper District administrator in 2004, Salehi served as its assistant Northern Virginia District administrator for maintenance and operations for six years and as the assistant district administrator for maintenance in the four preceding years.
He joined VDOT’s Northern Virginia District as a senior engineer in 1989.
From 1985 until 1989, he worked for a Virginia land development company. Prior to that, he was a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was significantly involved in several transportation policy projects in Egypt.
Earlier he was an associate professor of civil engineering at Tehran University.
Salehi succeeds Dennis Morrison, who retired from VDOT this summer and joined a consulting firm.
For more information about VDOT’s leadership team, visit VirginiaDOT.org/about/leaders.asp.
(END)
EDITORS AND REPORTERS: A high-resolution image of Salehi is available here.
Salehi, an 18-year VDOT veteran, had served as the district’s acting administrator since late July.
Prior to that assignment, he served as VDOT’s Culpeper District administrator and held other VDOT leadership positions.
“I am very pleased that we can continue to draw on Morteza’s considerable talent, engineering expertise, academic acumen and international experience in this highly demanding leadership position,” VDOT Commissioner David S. Ekern said. “He has planned, developed and led multi-modal transportation projects in the Middle East and in various posts in Virginia. He knows Northern Virginia’s people and transportation issues very well. Morteza brings a great combination of wisdom and energy to the table.”
As district administrator, Salehi will direct approximately 1,000 employees and be responsible for more than 4,000 miles of roads in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties.
The district staff also supports highway functions in nine cities and towns in the area.
He will direct VDOT staff and consultants involved in the development of the I-495 and I-95/395 High Occupancy Toll lane projects, as well as several billion-dollar “mega” transportation projects in the Northern Virginia area.
He will also serve as VDOT’s representative to the new Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board.
Before immigrating to the U.S. in 1981, Salehi held progressively responsible positions in transportation policy and investment programs and projects, ultimately serving as Iran’s secretary of transportation.
Among his responsibilities were overseeing multimodal transportation agencies and active involvement in the feasibility study, design and development of Tehran’s Metro system.
Before becoming VDOT’s Culpeper District administrator in 2004, Salehi served as its assistant Northern Virginia District administrator for maintenance and operations for six years and as the assistant district administrator for maintenance in the four preceding years.
He joined VDOT’s Northern Virginia District as a senior engineer in 1989.
From 1985 until 1989, he worked for a Virginia land development company. Prior to that, he was a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was significantly involved in several transportation policy projects in Egypt.
Earlier he was an associate professor of civil engineering at Tehran University.
Salehi succeeds Dennis Morrison, who retired from VDOT this summer and joined a consulting firm.
For more information about VDOT’s leadership team, visit VirginiaDOT.org/about/leaders.asp.
(END)
EDITORS AND REPORTERS: A high-resolution image of Salehi is available here.
Page last modified: Dec. 17, 2007
