In late June, Governor Gavin Newsom named Dina El-Tawansy as the new director of the California Department of Transportation. She replaces Tony Tavares, who retired in May after a 35-year career at Caltrans.
El-Tawansy brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the role, having held multiple positions at Caltrans since 1998. Much of her three-decade Caltrans career has been spent in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. However, she has also served as acting assistant divisions chief for project and program management at the agency’s headquarters in Sacramento, along with serving as deputy district director of operations and maintenance in Caltrans District 12, which covers Orange County. Most recently, El-Tawansy served as the director of Caltrans District 4 covering nine counties in Northern California; the first woman to ever hold that position.
El-Tawansy will oversee management of more than 50,000 lane miles of California’s highways and freeways, with a budget of close to $20 billion.
El-Tawansy expressed her commitment to public service, stating, “I am honored to serve as the Director of Caltrans and to continue my work improving California’s transportation infrastructure. My focus will be on accelerating the work of Caltrans across all programs to deliver efficient and effective transportation solutions.”
El-Tawansy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from California Polytechnic State University-Pomona, and a Master of Science degree in construction management from California State University-Long Beach. She is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of California, and Project Management Professional (PMP).