Victor Mendez
Encyclopedia
Victor Mendez was sworn in on July 17, 2009, as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA), the 18th person to hold this position.
Mendez was previously Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation
(ADOT), beginning in November 2001. Mendez started at ADOT in 1985 as a transportation engineer. He was later named deputy state engineer with ADOT's Valley Transportation Group, where he provided leadership for the Phoenix area's multi-billion dollar freeway system. He worked his way up the agency, becoming Deputy Director in 1999 and Acting Director four months before his appointment as Director.
In 2006, Mendez was elected president of both the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO), its national counterpart. He chaired its Standing Committee on Research, the Operations Council of the Standing Committee on Highways, and the oversight group for the Transportation Research Board
Long-Term Pavement Performance program.
Mendez earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas at El Paso
and an MBA from Arizona State University
. Before joining ADOT, Mendez worked for the U.S. Forest Service as an engineer in Oregon.
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
(FHWA), the 18th person to hold this position.
Mendez was previously Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation
Arizona Department of Transportation
The Arizona Department of Transportation is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with public transportation and municipal airports...
(ADOT), beginning in November 2001. Mendez started at ADOT in 1985 as a transportation engineer. He was later named deputy state engineer with ADOT's Valley Transportation Group, where he provided leadership for the Phoenix area's multi-billion dollar freeway system. He worked his way up the agency, becoming Deputy Director in 1999 and Acting Director four months before his appointment as Director.
In 2006, Mendez was elected president of both the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines which are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States...
(AASHTO), its national counterpart. He chaired its Standing Committee on Research, the Operations Council of the Standing Committee on Highways, and the oversight group for the Transportation Research Board
Transportation Research Board
The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent adviser to the President, the Congress and federal agencies on scientific and technical questions of national importance...
Long-Term Pavement Performance program.
Mendez earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
and an MBA from Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. Before joining ADOT, Mendez worked for the U.S. Forest Service as an engineer in Oregon.