The State Transportation Board (STB) of Georgia elected its new executive leadership team at its monthly board meeting on Thursday, August 15, 2024 held at Georgia DOT headquarters in Atlanta. Ann R. Purcell was named chairwoman; Jamie Boswell was named vice chairman; and Dennis McEntire was named secretary.
Ann R. Purcell who resides in Chatham County represents Georgia’s 1st Congressional District and was a former state legislator. She was elected to the board in 2013 and was re-elected to serve her third term in 2022. Purcell has been named one of the 100 Influential Women in Georgia Engineering by Engineering Georgia magazine. Purcell has previously served as chair, vice chair and secretary.
Jamie Boswell, Georgia’s 10th Congressional District representative, was elected to the STB in 2013 and resides in Athens, Ga. Boswell is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business with a major in real estate. He also attended Georgia Tech and is president and owner of the Boswell Group, which includes insurance, real estate and appraisal companies. Boswell has previously held the roles of chairman, vice chairman and secretary.
Dennis McEntire, representing Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District located in west central Georgia has dedicated his career to public service and infrastructure. He was elected to the STB in 2022. A proud alumnus of the University of Georgia with a degree in Business Administration, McEntire has extensive experience including serving as general manager of Newnan Utilities, where he played a pivotal role in supporting the city’s growth. In addition to his current role, McEntire has been actively involved in numerous community organizations, demonstrating a lifelong commitment to enhancing Georgia’s infrastructure.
The new positions are effective immediately. Board elections are held annually to ensure all regions of the state are represented at the executive leadership level. The 14-member State Transportation Board is responsible for setting policies and governing the Georgia Department of Transportation. Board members are elected by a caucus of Georgia General Assembly members from their respective congressional districts and serve staggered, five-year terms.
Two GDOT Projects Nationally Recognized for Excellence in Transportation Infrastructure
The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) was named a southern regional winner in the 2024 America’s Transportation Awards during the Southeastern (SASHTO) annual conference held in Arkansas this year. The America’s Transportation Awards competition, sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, showcases how state DOT projects strengthen local communities by improving travel safety, reducing roadway congestion and providing more travel options for people.
This year, Georgia DOT was the recipient of not one, but two projects taking top honors during the awards ceremony. The first award given in the category “Quality of Life/Community Development, Small Project” was for the Historic Rogers Bridge Pedestrian/Bike Crossing project. The second project to win an award was for the Advanced Rail Crossing Blocking Notification project in the “Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Small Project” category.
Projects are nominated in four categories: Quality of Life/Community Development; Operations Excellence; Best Use of Technology & Innovation; and Safety. They highlight transportation’s crucial role for every person in every community, regardless of their mode of travel. In response to the increasing number of fatalities on U.S. roadways in recent years, 2024 marks the inaugural year of the Safety category, celebrating projects that effectively addressed safety challenges.