RANDALL IWASAKI

SACRAMENTO — Following Will Kempton announcing his resignation as director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) effective on July 31, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on June 22 commended him for his dedicated service to the people of California and announced the appointment of Randell H. Iwasaki to succeed him as director starting Aug. 1.

“Will has been an incredible driving force behind rebuilding California’s infrastructure and especially instrumental in quickly moving federal stimulus dollars out the door to transportation projects around the state,” said Schwarzenegger. “I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Will for his incredible work and service to the people of California, and I wish him the very best in all his future endeavors.

“Randy brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and practical experience at Caltrans to this position and I am confident he will be an effective director. He shares my commitment to updating and investing in our state’s infrastructure to meet California’s growing needs and to create jobs at a time when we need them most.”

Iwasaki has held several engineering and managerial positions at Caltrans over the past 26 years. He has served as the chief deputy director since 2005 and previously held the positions of acting chief deputy director from November 2004 to January 2005 and interim director from July 2004 to November 2004.

For the first year as the chief deputy director, he also was program manager for the $8.6 billion toll bridge seismic retrofit program.

From 1999 to 2004, Iwasaki served as deputy director for maintenance and operations and, from 2001 to 2002, he served as interim district director of transportation for District 4, which comprises the nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Prior to that, Iwasaki served as the chief of the maintenance division from 1997 to 1999 and district director of transportation for District 9, headquartered in Bishop on the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, from 1996 to 1997.

Previously, he served as the deputy district director of maintenance and operations for District 10, which is headquartered in Stockton, from 1993 to 1996.

He is the recipient of the Charles H. Purcell Award, given annually by Caltrans in recognition of managerial excellence; the Thomas H. McDonald Award, considered the highest award presented by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, for “rendering continuous outstanding service over an extended period of time or have made some exceptional contribution to the art and science of highway engineering”; and most recently was one of 25 people recognized nationwide as 2009 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers by Government Technology Magazine.

“I am incredibly honored Gov. Schwarzenegger has asked me to take on this position and lead Caltrans,” said Iwasaki. “I look forward to continuing to work with the governor and his administration to advance the state’s leading position in global commerce and enhance the quality of life of all Californians.”

During his Caltrans career, Iwasaki has spearheaded a number of transportation engineering innovations in California, including the use of old tires in rubberized asphalt, the installation of LED red lights, saving the state taxpayers more than $2 million a year in power costs, and conversion of the Caltrans equipment fleet to clean burning fuels.

Iwasaki, 49, of Elk Grove earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a master of science degree in civil engineering from CSU Fresno.

This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $153,360. Iwasaki is a Republican.

Under the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, Caltrans constructs, operates and maintains the state’s highway and freeway lanes.

The department also provides intercity rail passenger services under contract with Amtrak and assists local governments with the delivery of transportation projects, as well as other transportation-related activities.

The director is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of California’s state transportation system, including more than 50,000 lane miles of state highways stretching from Mexico to Oregon and from the Pacific Ocean to Nevada and Arizona.