(Lawrenceville, Ga., Oct. 20, 2020) – Gwinnett County Administrator Glenn Stephens has promoted Lewis Cooksey from assistant director of the Department of Transportation to director, effective Oct. 31.
Commissioners ratified Cooksey’s employment agreement during Tuesday’s commission meeting. Current DOT Director Alan Chapman is retiring Oct. 30 after 23 years of service to Gwinnett County, including the last five spent leading the department.
“Lewis has demonstrated the capacity to manage complicated projects and large organizations,” said Stephens. “He understands the transportation issues we face and has an innovative and creative mind that finds solutions. He will help us take our transportation network to the next level.”
Gwinnett County Department of Transportation hired Cooksey as a project manager in 2008, and he subsequently rose through the ranks to engineering coordinator, deputy director and assistant director.
Projects overseen by Cooksey include the diverging diamond interchanges at I-85 at Pleasant Hill Road and I-85 at Jimmy Carter Boulevard, the widening of State Road 20 in Sugar Hill and the construction of the McGinnis Ferry Road bridge over I-85.
From September 2019 to October 2020, he was assistant director of Engineering, Construction, and Business and Staffing Services at the Department of Water Resources.
Before joining Gwinnett County, Cooksey was president of a local engineering firm and designed numerous projects in and around Gwinnett County.
Cooksey, a registered professional engineer, brings 26 years’ experience in civil engineering. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology from Kennesaw State University and holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Georgia.
Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash said, “Lewis’s depth of knowledge, experience and commitment to Gwinnett County make him the right choice at the right time to meet our transportation challenges for the future.”