Jeffrey Paniati

Jeffrey Paniati is the Executive Director of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). He serves as the chief operating officer, and assists the FHWA Administrator in establishing policies, programs and priorities for the $40 billion annual federal-aid highway program. He oversees a workforce of approximately 2,900 transportation professionals nationwide, and an annual operating budget of $400 million. Mr. Paniati served as Acting Deputy Administrator in 2009 and led the initial implementation of the $27.5 billion highway investment under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). He has overseen the Act’s successful implementation in funding more than 12,000 projects, improving thousands of miles of roadways and bridges nationwide. As Executive Director, Mr. Paniati has led significant organizational changes, enhanced employee learning and development, and implemented workplace and work life flexibilities at FHWA. Earlier in his career, he served as the FHWA Associate Administrator for Operations, led the Intelligent Transportation Systems Program across the U.S. Department of Transportation, and held various positions with the FHWA Office of R&D. He has received the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executives (2003) and the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executives (2010). Mr. Paniati received his M.S. degree from the University of Maryland and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia.