CATHERINE MCGHEE | Chief deputy commissioner, Virginia Department of Transportation

Catherine McGhee was appointed chief deputy commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation in May 2022. She is the first woman to ascend to this level at the state agency.

McGhee has more than 30 years of experience in traffic engineering and system operations, intelligent transportation systems and data and performance measurement.

Prior to her current position, McGhee served in a dual role as director of both Virginia’s Office of Transportation Research and Innovation and the Virginia Transportation Research Council. Earlier in her career, McGhee was associate director for the Virginia Transportation Research Council.

“My specific area of research was traffic operations, and I’m proud of the work I was involved in that has made Virginia a leader in connected and automated vehicle research,” McGhee says. “Although we have yet to see widescale deployment of connected or automated vehicles, VDOT is well positioned to support that deployment because of the work of VTRC and our partner universities.”

After earning a degree in civil engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, McGhee completed a master’s in civil engineering from the University of Virginia.

“When I was choosing my college major, I picked civil engineering partially because I had a high school guidance counselor who told me that girls didn’t become engineers,” McGhee says.

Now, she regularly speaks to young people to convey the message that “anyone who wants to can be an engineer, regardless of gender.”

Return to the full list of this year’s recipients