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McAuliffe announces new Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment Leadership

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terry mcauliffeGovernor Terry McAuliffe today announced new leadership in the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI). The Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment is located within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation and encourages the coordination of multimodal and intermodal planning across the various transportation options within Virginia.

“Unlocking transportation has been one of my administration’s top priorities,” said Governor McAuliffe. “The Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment plays a vital role in strengthening our transportation infrastructure by promoting coordination of transportation investments, reducing congestion, improving safety and accessibility, and providing greater travel options. I am pleased to announce the new leaders that will shepherd efforts to continue to improve the quality of life of all Virginians through transportation.”

The Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment is responsible for SMART SCALE, development of the Commonwealth’s long-range transportation plan, and performance targets to assess Virginia’s transportation system. OIPI advises the Secretary of Transportation in their role as chairperson of the Commonwealth Transportation Board and provides support to the full board. The Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment fosters collaboration, encourages the use of innovation, promotes coordination between transportation investements and land use planning, and efficiency in transportation planning among all modes within the Transportation Secretariat.

A list of the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment staff and their biographies is below:

Nicholas Donohue, Director

Nicholas Donohue will continue to serve as Deputy Secretary and the Director of the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment. He served previously as Policy and Legislative Director for the Transportation for American Campaign. Prior to joining the Transportation for America Campaign, Nick served as Assistant Secretary of Transportation and as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Transportation during Governor Tim Kaine’s administration. Nicholas holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Ronique Day, Deputy Director

For the past four years, Ronique has served as Assistant Secretary of Transportation in the Office of Governor Terry McAuliffe where she worked closely with the Secretary and his team. Her responsibilities and oversight included liaison to the General Assembly; policy, research and analysis; and planning associated with unmanned systems and automated vehicles.  Ronique was also integral to the development of the SMART SCALE prioritization process. Most recently, she focused on the convergence of technology and transportation by leading the statewide strategic planning effort, Virginia Automated 20xx, to transition autonomous vehicles into the Virginia transportation network. Prior to joining the McAuliffe Administration, Ronique advised the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) Administrative Services Division director on procurement policy issues. She began her tenure at VDOT in the Core Development leadership program. Ronique holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond, master’s degree in business from Virginia Commonwealth University and was a fellow of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute, Sorensen Political Leaders Program. She also serves as a Chesterfield County district representative on the Youth Community Service Board.

Jitender Ramchandani, VTrans Manager

Jitender will lead the development of statewide transportation plan, VTrans, and focus on promoting a collaborative partnership within the Transportation secretariat to improve mobility within the transportation network. He will also focus on emerging transportation technologies and policy practices related to the future of mobility and smart cities. Most recently, he was a Planning and Project Development Manager with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and was responsible for strengthening transit planning functions of the Department. Jitender has master’s degrees from both Texas A&M University and Florida Atlantic University.

Margie Ray, Performance Measures Manager

Margie will be responsible for surface transportation performance management as well as other initiatives to improve transportation planning and programming. Over the past several years, Margie has helped lead the development and implementation of SMART SCALE as well as the expansion of the web-based application tool – the SMART Portal. Most recently, she has been the Assistant Division Administrator for the VDOT Infrastructure Investment Division, which is responsible for development and management of the Six-Year Improvement Program. Margie has a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree from the University of Virginia.

Chad Tucker, SMART Scale Manager

Chad will continue to oversee and manage the SMART SCALE program and work to improve policies and processes related to transportation planning, project development and project evaluation. In recent years, Chad served as the Assistant Division Administrator in VDOT’s Planning Division and was responsible for conceptual planning and performance-based planning.  Over the past three years, he helped lead the development and implementation of SMART SCALE.  Chad holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master’s degree from George Mason University.

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