Public Affairs Roundtable
Presented by
Office of Community, Neighborhood, and Government Relations
Friday, October 30
7:15 am - 8:30 am
Topic: Traffic & Transportation
Guest:
Commissioner John Schroer
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)
www.tn.gov/tdot
John Schroer was appointed Commissioner of Transportation by Governor Bill Haslam in January 2011. He is the 29th commissioner of the state agency that oversees a statewide transportation system including highways, rail, airports, waterways and transit.
During his tenure, Commissioner Schroer has made safety a priority, creating new programs and initiatives like Quick Clearance, Protect the Queue and the nation’s first Traffic Incident Management Training Facility.
He has also worked diligently to strengthen partnerships with communities. During his first four years, he achieved his goal of visiting all 95 counties in Tennessee. With the creation of the Office of Community Transportation, he continues to increase the level of communication and collaboration between TDOT and local communities.
TDOT has undergone major changes to become more efficient with the merger of its construction and maintenance programs. The Commissioner’s proudest accomplishment was supporting 140 employees who went back to school to get their GEDs as part of this major reorganization.
Under Commissioner Schroer, TDOT has remained debt-free and, with the current uncertainty of federal funding levels, has shifted focus to preserving the system rather than new construction. Schroer has also saved taxpayers more than $366 million dollars by reexamining and reducing the scope of projects from wants to needs. In addition, a new 25-Year Long-Range Transportation Plan will provide a fiscally constrained investment program for the future.
Commissioner Schroer is an alumnus of Leadership Tennessee and also serves as the chairman of the prestigious Standing Committee on Finance and Administration of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, an organization composed of peers from all DOTs across the nation. In this role, he is able to be at the forefront of discussions involving transportation funding and raising awareness of this critical issue.
Previous to his state service, in 2007 Commissioner Schroer was elected Mayor of Franklin, Tennessee. His public service also includes 13 years as a member of the Board of the Franklin Special School District, serving as chairman for eleven years. He served on the Board of the Tennessee School Board Association as Treasurer and Vice President.
An Indiana native, Commissioner Schroer received a bachelor's degree in business from Indiana University. After graduation he moved to the Franklin area and subsequently received an MBA from the University of Tennessee. He spent ten years in the commercial real estate financing business before beginning a real estate development business.
Commissioner Schroer and his wife Marianne are members of Franklin First United Methodist Church. They have three children and one grandson.
Friday Oct 30, 2015
7:15 AM - 8:30 AM CDT
Friday, October 30
7:15 am - 8:30 am
Williamson County Administrative Complex
1320 West Main Street
Franklin, TN 37064
No Charge for Chamber Members & Guests
Verlinda Darden
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