The Transportation Research Board announced Thursday that Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty will become chair of its Executive Committee, effective January 12, 2017.

Dougherty will first be stepping into the vice chairmanship of the Executive Committee effective November 29. His nomination was approved by Dr. Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences and Chair of the National Research Council.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is a division of the National Research Council of the United States, which serves as an independent adviser to the President of the United States, Congress and federal agencies on scientific and technical questions of national importance. It is jointly administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The TRB promotes innovation and progress in transportation through research in an objective and interdisciplinary setting. It offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encourages their implementation.

The Executive Committee is the senior policy body of TRB, composed of approximately 25 members appointed by the Chairman of the National Research Council (NRC). The TRB Executive Committee is an advisory group to the Chairman and the Governing Board of the NRC and provides oversight to ensure that TRB’s activities are appropriate for the NRC and constructive to the transportation system and the nation.

Members of the Executive Committee are comprised of representatives of various transportation agencies, academic disciplines, private and public sectors, different levels of government and geographical regions. The Executive Committee meets twice a year, once at TRB’s Annual Meeting in Washington each January and once in June. As Chair of TRB’s Executive Committee, Dougherty will serve a one-year term and preside over the Committee discussions.

As Director of Caltrans, Dougherty leads an $11 billion organization and the 20,000 employees who build, maintain, and operate more than 50,000 lane miles of California’s transportation system. Dougherty has been an active member of the TRB Executive Committee since 2013 and has previously served on the Oversight Committee for the Second Strategic Highway Research Program.