According to officials, Gov. John Bel Edwards has named Dr. Eric Kalivoda as secretary for the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) to replace the recently retired Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D.
Kalivoda has served on the executive staff as the deputy secretary for the past 12 years. Prior to his appointment as deputy secretary, he served as the assistant secretary of planning and multimodal commerce for five years. He has worked in transportation for 40 years, nearly 30 with DOTD.
“I want to thank Dr. Kalivoda for his willingness to fill this role,” said Gov. Edwards. “Under the leadership of Dr. Shawn Wilson, DOTD has had historic success, and I know that will continue under Dr. Kalivoda. There are currently more DOTD projects underway than ever before. We are tackling major projects that Louisianans could previously only dream of, taking full advantage of unprecedented opportunities to upgrade our infrastructure, grow our economy, and improve quality of life for our people.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the department for the remainder of this term,” Kalivoda said. “I thank Gov. Edwards for his trust and confidence. There will be no change in transportation or public works policy; there are a number of critical projects at various stages of delivery and we will continue with those as planned. DOTD will be well prepared for a smooth transition to the next administration in January 2024.”
Kalivoda holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Louisiana State University, a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Arizona, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from North Carolina State University. He is a licensed professional engineer in Louisiana, Arizona, and North Carolina.
