Vance C. Smith, Jr., Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) will speak at Georgia Tech on Friday, April 15. Commissioner Smith will discuss pending transportation legislation in Georgia, GDOT revenues and revenue forecasts, the status of the Department's workforce, and new and upcoming GDOT projects. The presentation will begin at 12 noon at the Architecture East Building, Room 123. A cook-out, co-sponsored by Georgia Tech's student ITE Chapter and the Georgia ITE Chapter, will be held immediately before the presentation in the Architecture Outdoor Plaza. Cost for the cookout is $5 for Georgia Tech students and $10 for Georgia Tech faculty.
Commissioner Smith has been Commissioner of GDOT since June of 2009. Prior to serving as Commissioner, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in November of 1992 and served the 129th district, which includes Troup, Harris, and Muscogee counties. From 2005 to 2009 he was Chairman of the House Transportation Committee. In addition to serving as Governor Purdue's floor leader in 2006 and 2007, he also cochaired the General Assembly's 2007 Vance C. Smith, Jr. Commissioner chaired Assembly's Joint Study Committee on Transportation Funding. Smith holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Columbus State University. Georgia Department of Transportation Beyond his career in public service, he managed a family-owned construction and earth moving business, which was in operation for 57 years.