WisDOT announces new deputy secretary

Scott Lawry will be the next deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Kristina Boardman, the secretary of WisDOT, announced long-time engineer Lawry was appointed to serve as the new deputy secretary. In September, Boardman took over the role after former secretary Craig Thompson left.

Lawry will serve as chief operating officer and oversee department operations, which includes 3,200 employees, dozens of field offices and a biennial budget of more than $8 billion, according to WisDOT officials.

Lawry has had a career in state service for more than 30 years, starting as an intern at WisDOT’s La Crosse office, officials said. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a degree in civil engineer and joined WisDOT full time in 1991. Over the years, he worked as a staff engineer, project manager and supervisor in different division leadership roles, officials added.

Lawry most recently served as deputy administrator of WisDOT’s Division of Transportation System Development where he helped manage the department’s infrastructure programs, officials noted.

“Scott’s decades of experience in planning, coordinating and managing highway improvement programs make him a perfect fit for this position,” Boardman said in a statement. “WisDOT has been recently able to deliver more than 300 projects every year to transform our communities, but we still have more work to do to improve our transportation system. We’re thrilled to add Scott’s vast engineering knowledge to the secretary’s office team to help us reach our goals,” she added.

Lawry will replace Boardman as deputy secretary. She was appointed secretary in September.

“It’s our job as leaders of WisDOT to do everything we can to improve safety for the traveling public and many workers who build and support our transportation network,” Lawry said in a statement. “We will focus on responsibly managing the department’s funding to build a transportation system that meets the needs of a 21st century economy and workforce,” he added.

Wisconsin has improved more than 7,400 miles of road and more than 1,780 bridges since 2019 and upgraded railroads, ports, harbors and airports, officials said.