April 2023 - VDOT NOVA LAP Workshop

Presentation File & Attendee List

Presentation File
 

Attendee List



Our Speakers

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) NOVA District

Nicholas J. Roper, P.E. - District Project Development Engineer

Nicholas J. Roper, P.E., has more than 40 years of engineering experience in the military, private, and public sectors.   Nick earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute in 1982, and a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Virginia in 1996.  He joined VDOT in 2001 as the District Structure and Bridge Engineer, and in 2013 he became the Assistant District Engineer for Project Development, where he is currently responsible for development of nearly 250 transportation projects valued at more than $3.4 billion as well as the construction of 45 active local assistance projects valued at $477 million.  Nick retired from the US Army as a Colonel following 28 years of service on active duty and in the reserves, including deployments to Kosovo and Iraq.  He resides in Occoquan, Virginia.



Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) NOVA District

Amir Salahshoor, P.E. - Deputy Manager, NOVA Local Assistance Program


Amir has a BS in Civil Engineering and 38 years experience in Design, Project and Program Management of Transportation Projects with VDOT and consultants with the last 24 years with VDOT at NOVA District. Amir is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia and Maryland.  



Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)

Richard L. Stuart, Jr. - State Right of Way Manager, Special Projects

Mr. Stuart has nearly 10 years of experience in various disciplines of Right of Way Acquisition for VDOT.  He is currently the State Right of Way Manager for Special Projects with purview over all acquisitions on Design Build and P3 Projects for VDOT, as well as oversight of all acquisitions on Federally funded Locally Administered Projects.  Mr. Stuart graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2008. 




Fairfax County Department of Transportation

W. Todd Minnix, P.E. - Chief, Transportation Design Division


Mr. Minnix has over 40 years of experience in the planning, design, construction, and program management of multi-modal transportation improvement projects. Since 2010, Todd has been the Chief of the Transportation Design Division (TDD) of the Fairfax County Dept. of Transportation (FCDOT), where he is responsible for the implementation of a large portion of the County’s Transportation Priorities Plan (TPP). He is currently responsible for implementing a program of approximately 100 transportation projects, funded through a combination of Federal, State and Local funding sources, with an estimated value of over $1.27 Billion, including the Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit project which will operate in approximately 7 miles of dedicated median running lanes along Route 1 between Ft. Belvoir and the Huntington Metro Station. Prior to joining Fairfax County in 2003, Todd spent 21 years as a private sector consultant where he had the pleasure to work on numerous transportation projects around the country, including projects in California, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Rhode Island, and Virginia . He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, cum laude; is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia; and was honorably discharged from the US Army Reserve, where he attained the rank of Captain.


 


Loudoun County, Department of Transportation & Capital Infrastructure

James C. Zeller, P.E. - Assistant Director, Transportation Capital Projects

  • Born and raised in Garden City, NY on Long Island
  • Studied Petroleum Engineering and Geology at Marietta College (Ohio), class of 1986
  • Relocated to Northern Virginia after undergrad to i) find work in my field and ii) be close to my college sweetheart’s home town
  • Still married to my college sweetheart 
  • Studied Civil Engineering (Geotech) at University of Maryland, class of 1989.  Thesis was studying effectiveness of quicklime to stabilize shrink-swell clays in eastern Loudoun County
  • Two children:  Richard, 27 and Margaret 23
  • Third and Fourth “children”:  Two badly behaved pit bull mix shelter dogs, Punkin and Luna
  • Residence:  Ashburn, VA
  • Outside Interests:  Cooking (when there is time), Rowing (I competed in college and as a “master”.  I currently coach for Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn.)



 

Prince William County

Khattab Shammout - Assistant Director of Transportation for Design & Construction



Khattab Shammout brings over 35 years of diverse transportation experience both locally and internationally. He started his career as a highway design engineer with a regional consulting firm. In 1990, he joined Prince William County government, a career that extended almost 30 years, starting as a project manager, and progressing to the position of an Assistant Director of Transportation. He also worked internationally with a leading consulting firm as the Director of Construction in a PMC program overseeing the delivery of a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure and transportation improvements program in Qatar. Mr. Shammout holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from West Virginia nstitute of Technology and a Graduate certificate in Construction Management from the University of Florida. He has held a Professional Engineer’s license in Virginia since 1992, and a design-build certificate since 2010.

 

VDOT

Geraldine S. Jones - Strategic Planning Manager, Local Assistance Division


Ms. Jones joined VDOT’s Local Assistance Division as its new Strategic Planning Manager in November 2022. She provides oversight and management of special programs and projects, including the Locality Sustained Performance Program. Geraldine has 18 years at VDOT both in the Environmental Division where she oversaw VDOT’s Environmental Data Program and the Comprehensive Environmental Data and Reporting System (CEDAR), and in the Transportation Mobility Planning Division where she launched and administered the Pathways for Planning Program. Geraldine has a B.S. in Environmental Resource Management from Virginia Tech, and a M.S. in Resource Economics from West Virginia University.


 

VDOT NOVA District

Leslie Martin - District Civil Rights Manager


 
Leslie Martin has more than 39 years of experience managing the comprehensive Civil Rights program areas within a transportation environment relative to all governing laws and regulations including the Title VI Program, Contract Compliance Program, DBE Compliance Program, Labor Compliance, Affirmative Action Program,  ADA/504, Title VII and other laws which prohibit discrimination. She has managed the DBE program, from outreach efforts to helping firms succeed, for precedent-setting projects such as the Springfield Interchange, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Projects, I-495, I-395 and I-95 Express Lanes and currently the Transform 66 and 495 NEXT P3 projects. She is also responsible for creating and implementing VDOT’s Annual Transportation Career Fair, promoting the many career opportunities in the transportation industry to over 1500 high school students, currently preparing for the 18th event this October.


 

VDOT NOVA District

John Muse - District Environmental Manager


Mr. Muse has over 30 years of experience at VDOT’s Northern Virginia District managing oversight of environmental studies for NEPA documents, water resources, biological resources, cultural resources, and hazardous materials, and environmental compliance during project implementation to achieve compliance with federal and state environmental statutes, regulations, procedures, and practices, including VDOT projects administered by localities, design-build project and P3 projects.  Notable projects include: Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Springfield Interchange Improvements, Transform66 Outside-the-Beltway, and Fairfax County Parkway Widening & Popes Head Road Interchange.  He is a proud graduate of Virginia Tech where he received a B.S. in Forestry and Natural Resources.



 

Our Moderator

ACEC/MW Transportation Committee Vice Chair

James Thomas, P.E. - Supervising Engineer, Parsons Corporation

James Thomas, PE, is a Supervising Engineer at Parsons Corporation, a global Engineering Firm specializing in Critical Infrastructure and headquartered in Centreville, Virginia. He has over 17 years of experience designing and managing transportation projects throughout the United States and Canada for State and Local clients. James is a member of ACEC/MW and currently serves as the Transportation Committee Vice Chair.


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