FHWA Public Affairs

Key Personnel

Victor Mendez
Administrator
Federal Highway Administration

On July 17, 2009, Victor Mendez became the Federal Highway Administrator—the 18th person to hold the position.

Previously, Mr. Mendez served as Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). Starting with ADOT in 1985 as an engineer, he became Director in November 2001 after serving four months as its Acting Director. As Director, Mr. Mendez worked to improve the agency's customer service in both its highway and motor vehicle divisions. Under his leadership, ADOT built the Regional Freeway System in the Phoenix area six years ahead of schedule and consistently delivered statewide construction programs on time.

In 2006, Mr. Mendez was elected president of both the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, its national counterpart. He chaired its Standing Committee on Research, the Operations Council of the Standing Committee on Highways, and the oversight group for the TRB Long-Term Pavement Performance program.

In the two years he served as ADOT's Deputy Director, from 1999-2001, his leadership resulted in major infrastructure improvements throughout the state. His 24-year career at ADOT, where he implemented innovations in management, funding and financing, research and technology, infrastructure and planning, will serve him well as the nation's top federal highway official.

Mr. Mendez earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and later earned an MBA from Arizona State University. Before joining ADOT in 1985 as a transportation engineer, Mr. Mendez worked for the U.S. Forest Service as an engineer in Oregon. In the years that followed, Mr. Mendez was named deputy state engineer with ADOT's Valley Transportation Group, where he provided leadership for the Phoenix area's multi-billion dollar valley freeway system.

Greg Nadeau
Deputy Administrator
Federal Highway Administration

On July 8, 2009, Greg Nadeau became the 19th Federal Highway Deputy Administrator.

Since 2003, Deputy Administrator Nadeau served as the Maine Department of Transportation's (MaineDOT) Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning and Communication under the administration of Governor John E. Baldacci. In this role, he was responsible for state and federal governmental affairs, statewide transportation system planning, communications, freight and business services, and passenger transportation. Among MaineDOT's accomplishments during his tenure were the development of an integrated approach to transportation system planning, the publication of "Connecting Maine," the department's statewide multi-modal long-range transportation plan, and the Northeast CanAM Connections Study, a regional economic analysis of east-west transportation access from Eastern Canada to New York State administered by MaineDOT. As Deputy Commissioner, he advocated and lead efforts to approach transportation planning on a systems basis utilizing the capacity of all modes, and minimizing impact on communities and the environment through regional and community based planning.

Mr. Nadeau served as MaineDOT's liaison to Maine' congressional delegation, and was involved in numerous statewide economic development initiatives throughout his state service. He also served on the Maine Turnpike Authority's Board of Directors from 2002 to 2009.

Mr. Nadeau served as Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Angus King from 1995 to 2002, responsible for a number of policy areas including: transportation, economic development, energy and utilities, environmental protection and labor, to name a few.

From 1978 to 1990, Mr. Nadeau represented Lewiston in the Maine House of Representatives. During his tenure, he served on numerous special and standing committees including: the Standing Committees on Transportation, Appropriations and Financial Affairs, as well as House Chair of Housing and Economic Development. (now known as Business, Research and Economic Development)

Jeffrey F. Paniati, P.E.
Executive Director
Federal Highway Administration

In April 2008, Jeff Paniati became Executive Director of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In this capacity, he manages the day-to-day operation of the Agency, and assists the Administrator in planning and establishing Agency policies, objectives, and priorities. He manages a $40 + billion annual budget and a workforce of approximately 2800 transportation professionals.

Prior to his appointment as Executive Director, Mr. Paniati served as the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Associate Administrator for Operations. He directed a staff that provides national leadership for congestion management, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) deployment, traffic operations, freight operations, emergency management, and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

For more than six years, Jeff led the Intelligent Transportation Systems Program across the U.S. Department of Transportation. He directed the $200+ million annual Federal ITS program and managed the day-to-day operations of the ITS Joint Program Office. Previously, Jeff served as Deputy Director of the ITS JPO for 3 years.

Before coming to the ITS JPO, Jeff held the position of Chief, Safety Design Division in the FHWA Office of Research and Development. In this capacity he led the Agency's efforts to develop new technologies, procedures, and methods to advance the state-of-art in highway safety.

Jeff has been very active in both the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB). He has served as Chair of the TRB Committee on Safety Data, Analysis and Evaluation and as Chair of the ITE Traffic Engineering Council. He is a past president of the Washington D.C. Section of ITE.

Jeff has received numerous performance and honor awards. He is a two time recipient of the Secretary's gold medal, has received the Secretary's Award for Meritorious Achievement and was recognized with the prestigious Presidential Rank Award for exceptional long-term accomplishments and commitment to excellence in public service.

Jeff has 26 years experience with FHWA. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland. He is a registered professional engineer. He is married to Kim Paniati, and has two children, Chris and Lauren.