Effective September 11, Craig Thompson (above) – secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and current president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – will be joining the University of Wisconsin-Madison as vice chancellor of university relations.
[Above photo by Wisconsin DOT]
Thompson – appointed Wisconsin DOT secretary in 2019 – was elected AASHTO president at the organization’s annual meeting in 2023. AASHTO vice president – Garrett Eucalitto, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation – will serve as AASHTO president until the AASHTO 2024 Annual Meeting in October, when a new president will be elected.
As AASHTO president, Thompson moderated key state DOT panel sessions at the 2024 Transportation Research Board Annual meeting in Washington, D.C.; hosted discussion sessions with Federal Highway Administration leadership and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) at AASHTO’s 2024 Washington Briefing; and played a critical role in creating the second AASHTO Safety Summit & Peer Exchange set for mid-October in Houston.
“Craig has done a tremendous job at the helm of Wisconsin DOT, and I could not be prouder of all the work we’ve been able to do together,” said Governor Tony Evers (D) in a statement.
“From fixing thousands of miles of roads and bridges to celebrating the launch of the first new passenger rail train in Wisconsin in over 20 years, Craig has been part of this work every mile of the way,” the governor noted.
Those efforts also included joining the U.S. Department of Transportation’s national ”Allies in Action” campaign in mid-March and winning a critical $1 billion grant award from the federal government for the Blatnik Bridge project.
“We cannot thank him enough for his years of dedicated service to the state, and we wish him all the best in this next chapter,” Gov. Evers said.
“I joined this administration five years ago with clear a directive from the top to ‘fix the darn roads,’ and I am proud to see how far we’ve come as a state toward that goal in just a short time,” said Thompson.
“I have also been incredibly privileged to learn from and lead a group of dedicated, talent public servants at Wisconsin DOT that I couldn’t be prouder of,” he added.
Jim Tymon, AASHTO executive editor, praised Thompson as “an exceptional leader and tireless advocate for communities nationwide” through both his leadership positions at Wisconsin DOT and within AASHTO.
“His passion for improving quality of life and mobility for everyone while prioritizing actions that will save lives on our nation’s roadways has been an inspiration to us all in the transportation community,” Tymon said.
“There is no doubt Craig will bring that same genuine care and concern—matched with an exceptional work ethic—to the University of Wisconsin community in his new role to better the lives of the those within the university community,” he added. “While we are sad to lose him in the transportation space, we are grateful for all he has led to improve safety, rebuild our workforce, and work more closely with all our partners—initiatives that will have a huge impact for many years to come.”
To replace Thompson, Gov. Evers has appointed Kristina Boardman to serve as Wisconsin DOT secretary. Boardman, who is currently the agency’s deputy secretary and who previously headed up the department’s Division of Motor Vehicles or DMV, will become the first woman to serve as secretary for the department.
“For nearly 20 years, Kristina has been a key part of the Wisconsin DOT team, and her proven leadership and experience at the department, both as deputy secretary and during her time leading the DMV, have positioned her well to be an exceptional secretary,” the governor noted. “I look forward to the vision and insight she will bring as a member of my cabinet and trust that her transition into the role will be seamless.”
“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity, and I am thankful to Gov. Evers for his confidence in me to take over this new role,” Boardman said. “We have made some incredible progress these last several years to build transportation systems the people of Wisconsin can rely on, and I am excited to continue building upon that momentum as secretary at the department.”
Boardman received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, and has nearly three decades of state government service – including 10 years as a legislative aide for the Wisconsin State Assembly – before joining Wisconsin DOT in 2005. Prior to becoming DMV administrator, Kristina served as DMV deputy administrator and director of DMV field services.
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