The Maryland Department of Transportation's (MDOT) State Highway Administration (SHA) Administrator Gregory Johnson announced that he named Lisa B. "Betty" Conners as deputy administrator of administration and Tim Smith as deputy administrator, chief engineer of operations. Together they will assist in overseeing the state's network of more than 17,000 lane mi. of highway, 2,565 bridges and more than $1.5 billion capital and operating annual budget.

"SHA is rapidly changing and embracing new technologies to improve our efficiency and enhance our customer service," said Johnson. "Tim and Betty lead by example and I am excited to work side by side with them to continue our mission with a renewed focus on customer service and Gov. Hogan's promise to change Maryland for the better."

As the deputy administrator of administration, Conners will oversee the offices of audits, administration, information technology, procurement and contract management and equal opportunity, as well as lead the agency business process improvements for procurement and hiring.

Deputy administrator Conners' priorities include a focus on procurement, filling vacancies and enhancing customer service. She will assess how SHA is positioned organizationally to deliver services by working to ensure workforce planning meets business needs to deliver SHA services.

Conners started her career in state service as the SHA deputy director of finance in July 1992.

Deputy administrator Conners is a certified public accountant in Maryland.

In his new role as deputy administrator of operations, Smith will manage the maintenance, construction, emergency and traffic operations and district functions of SHA. Additionally, he will oversee the system preservation and safety and capital programs, the construction and materials testing programs, and homeland security.

Since fall 2015, Smith has served as the district 5 engineer overseeing Anne Arundel, St. Mary's, Charles and Calvert counties. In this role, he was responsible for leading the 350 engineers, technicians, maintenance personnel, consultants and support staff dedicated to the safety and mobility of our customers traveling on nearly 3,000 lane-mi. and 356 bridges.

Prior to serving as district 5 engineer, Smith directed SHA's office of materials technology. Leading up to that role, Smith held several leadership positions over an eight-year period that focused on system preservation, life cycle cost and material quality objectives.

Before joining SHA, Smith spent five years in the private sector working for two civil engineering firms.

Deputy administrator Smith is a registered professional engineer in Maryland.

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