Hammond appointed head of Wash. DOT

Hammond appointed head of Wash. DOT Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire recently appointed Paula J. Hammond as chief executive officer and secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation.
   Hammond, a 28-year veteran of the civil engineering field, beat out a field of 29 applicants to win the position. She also becomes the first women appointed to the post.
   Hammond most recently served as the chief of staff for the state DOT, acting as adjunct to the secretary. She has served as interim secretary since the Aug. 1 retirement of former WSDOT CEO and Secretary Doug MacDonald.
   Hammond joined WSDOT in 1979 and previously held several positions with department's operations including assistant secretary of highways and local programs; program manager, Olympic region; transportation planning manager, Olympic region; and transportation engineer, Olympic region.
   WSDOT, with nearly 7,000 employees, maintains 7,000 miles of highways and 3,300 bridges and tunnels in the state. WSDOT also operates the Washington State Ferries, a service with 29 boats that carry more than 27 million passengers per year