AASHTO Journal - Hopkins Slated to Become NCDOT Secretary in October

Governor Roy Cooper (D) recently named Joseph “Joey” Hopkins (above) to become secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation on October 1 following the retirement of Eric Boyette, the agency’s current secretary.

[Above photo by NCDOT]

Hopkins currently serves as NCDOT’s chief operating officer and oversees the agency’s Division of Highways, Rail Division, Division of Aviation, Ferry Division, and Integrated Mobility Division.

Additionally, he oversees the department’s communications and human resources units, as well as the NCDOT’s Office of Strategic Planning and Programming.

Hopkins – a graduate of North Carolina State University – has worked at NCDOT for more than 30 years in a variety of capacities, including deputy chief engineer, division engineer, deputy division engineer, division maintenance engineer, and division operations engineer – all within Division 5 of the agency.

He also participated as a member of the NCDOT’s Transformation Management Team and was instrumental in developing the Strategic Prioritization Process; the forerunner of the agency’s “Strategic Mobility Formula,” a data-driven process currently used to help prioritize transportation projects in North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Boyette – appointed NCDOT’s secretary in February 2020 – is wrapping up a 27 year career in state government that included service as the secretary and state chief information officer of the North Carolina Department of Information Technology or NCDIT for two years.

At NCDIT he was in charge of all information technology procurement, state cybersecurity, operational services, broadband infrastructure, solutions division, data analytics center, the N.C. 911 Board and strategic IT planning.

Prior to his time with the NCDIT, Boyette held several leadership roles within NCDOT, including chief information officer, inspector general, and division of motor vehicles commissioner.

“Secretary Boyette has served North Carolina with distinction during my term as governor and I’m deeply grateful for his hard work and commitment to the people of our state,” said Gov. Cooper in a statement.

“I’m confident that Joey Hopkins will continue this outstanding work as secretary when he steps into this new role a few weeks from now,” the governor added.