The long-time secretary for the state department of transportation and development (DOTD) announced his retirement Wednesday.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a news release that he had accepted Sec. Shawn Wilson’s letter stating that he was retiring, effective March 4.
Wilson served in the secretary role for more than seven years and completed more than 16 years of executive service at the DOTD.
“Dr. Shawn Wilson has been the most effective DOTD secretary in state history,” Edwards wrote in the release. “Despite tremendous challenges with state revenue, devastating hurricanes and the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19 on our workforce and supply chain, Shawn has tackled important infrastructure projects that were previously only talked about for decades.”
During his tenure as secretary, the state invested nearly $5.5 billion in infrastructure projects around the state consisting of more than 2,230 projects compiling nearly 7,000 miles of improvements.
“From the biggest, most high-profile projects along major interstates to less glamorous but equally important rural infrastructure, he has worked tirelessly to unleash our economic potential and improve the quality of life for everyone in our state by making major improvements to our roads, bridges, ports, rail system, flood control, and more,” Edwards said in the news release.
Wilson was elected as the first African American president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in 2020-2021.
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