Jim McDonald will assume the position of program director of AASHTO.
McDonnell Named to Replace Kobetsky;
Barber Selected for Environment Position
“Jim has provided great support to the construction, design, and right-of-way/utilities committees as well as a number of special teams and projects including the pedestrian and bicycle coalitions, assorted safety groups, and the National Partnership for Highway Quality,” said Tony Kane, AASHTO’s director of engineering and technical services.
McDonnell started his career at the North Carolina Department of Transportation, where he served for nine years, the last five as a senior transportation engineer developing the state’s long-range transportation plan including the designation of the National Highway System routes in North Carolina. After that and before AASHTO, he worked for Transcore/SAIC doing transportation planning and traffic engineering studies for a number of state transportation departments.
A registered professional engineer in North Carolina, McDonnell has a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Duke University and finished master’s degree coursework at North Carolina State University.
Barber Named to Environment Position
Also this week, AASHTO announced that Jillian Barber, currently the policy administration and operations coordinator in the Division of Policy & Government Relations, will become the new program coordinator for the environment in that same division. The new position will be managed by Shannon Eggleston, director of environmental programs.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Jillian to expand her transportation horizons,” said Janet Oakley, AASHTO’s director of policy and government relations.
Barber has worked in her current position since May 2009. Before coming to AASHTO, she worked for almost two years in the office of Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Iowa.