A life-long transportation professional, Brian W. Ness became Director of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) in 2010. He is responsible for an annual budget of around $700 million and provides leadership and vision for nearly 1,700 employees. In April 2018, Director Ness was appointed to the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Executive Committee. The TRB is a unit of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and serves as an independent adviser to the President of the United States, the Congress, and federal and state agencies on scientific and technical transportation issues of national importance. In March 2017, he became chair of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) Special Committee on Research and Innovation. He was President of the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHTO) in 2016. In this position, he served as a regional representative to AASHTO’s Executive Committee. In addition, Director Ness sponsors the WASHTO Highway Transport Committee. He is also the creator and sponsor of WASHTO’s Emerging Leaders Program. Director Ness chaired the AASHTO Special Committee on Transportation Security and Emergency Management (SCOTSEM) until August 2017. Through his leadership of SCOTSEM, he achieved national recognition for applying his organizational model to emergency management and security, which has helped reshape SCOTSEM’s strategic plan. He is a member of the AASHTO Board of Directors, the WASHTO Board of Directors, and the Idaho Rural Partnership’s Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Idaho Council. Director Ness is a nationally recognized authority on organizational realignment and speaks regularly at national conferences for both the public and private sectors about how to structure a more effective and accountable state government. He leads a seminar each year on his “Nine Steps to a Results-Focused Culture” for the National Transportation Leadership Institute’s (NTLI) senior and executive-level management courses. Director Ness was honored in 2012 as Leader of the Year by the Treasure Valley chapter of Women’s Transportation Seminar, and named Trine University’s (formerly Tri-State University) 2014 Alumni of the Year. He received the 2016 Navigator Award from the national organization, Route Fifty. The award, in the “Agency and Department Chiefs” category, is based on his citizen-focused approach to government and transformative style. In 2013, ITD earned AASHTO’s President’s Award for Administration for its realignment efforts. Since Director Ness joined the department, ITD has received nearly 100 national awards for its programs and projects, including the prestigious Francis B. Francois Award for Innovation. Under Director Ness’ leadership, ITD began an employee-driven innovation program in 2014. Since that time, the department has implemented more than 660 innovations, saved $5 million, created 230 customer-service improvements, and saved more than 160,000 contractor and employee hours. The department was recognized in 2016 by the Idaho Technology Council as a finalist for Innovative Company of the Year. Director Ness earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Tri-State University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Western Michigan University. He is a licensed professional engineer in Michigan and Idaho. Before becoming director at ITD, he worked for 30 years at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), holding a variety of positions in research, operations, aeronautics, construction, and project development. Director Ness ended his career with MDOT as the North Region Administrator/Engineer.