AASHTO Journal, 18 December 2015
The Texas Transportation Commission on Dec. 17 selected James Bass to be the Department of Transportation’s next executive director.
Bass, who has been TxDOT’s chief financial officer since 2005, will begin his new role on Jan. 1, replacing current Executive Director Joe Weber.
The announcement said Bass began his TxDOT career in 1985 working summers in the Fort Worth District, and as an engineer aide in the Austin District while earning his bachelor’s degree in accounting at the University of Texas at Austin.
After graduation, Bass began full-time work as an accounting clerk in the Finance Division’s Revenue Accounting Section, and later was promoted to budget analyst in the Budget and Forecasting Section. In November 1999, he became TxDOT’s finance division director.
His TxDOT biography page said Bass has worked extensively on preparation of TxDOT’s legislative appropriations requests, operating budgets and cash forecasting system. He also works on the agency’s public-private partnerships and corresponds with the Legislative Budget Board, State Auditor’s Office and the Office of the Texas Comptroller.