KDOT chief to join Cambridge Systematics

   Kansas Transportation Secretary Deb Miller will step down to take a position with Cambridge Systematics, a transportation infrastructure planning and policy consulting firm based in Cambridge, Mass., Gov. Sam Brownback’s office announced last week.
   Miller has served under three governors in her tenure at the head of the Kansas Department of Transportation.
She was the first woman to head the agency when first appointed in 2003. Miller was the only person from the previous Democratic administration to be kept on by Brownback, a Republican.
   She was closely involved in development of the state’s comprehensive transportation programs in 1989, 1999 and 2010.
   Miller worked hard to gain passage in 2010 of a 10-year, $8 billion transportation infrastructure program called Transportation Works for Kansas. At the core of the program is a new selection process for highway projects that relies on engineering data, local input and economic impact analysis to evaluate project merits. Other aspects of the program include an expanded rail program that allows shippers and industrial parks to be eligible for program funds along with local governments, a regional transit approach and streamlined the project application process so communities can take advantage of economic development opportunities.
   Miller’s last day on the job is Dec. 16.