Wright named AASHTO executive director

   The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has named Frederick G. “Bud” Wright to executive director.
   Wright succeeds John Horsley, who has served as executive director since 1999 and retires Feb. 1.
   Wright served as executive director of the Federal Highway Administration from 2001 to 2008, assisting the administrator in establishing policies, programs, and priorities for the $40 billion annual federal-aid highway program. As FHWA’s chief operating officer he was also responsible for a workforce of more than 2,000 staff and an annual operating budget of $400 million.
   From 2001 to 2002, Wright was the FHWA program manager for safety. Before that, he was director of the Office of Budget and Finance, where he worked extensively on the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). He joined the agency in 1975.
   For the past four years, Wright served as a consultant to Lindsay Transportation Solutions/Barrier Systems, a manufacturer of products used in highway lane management and highway safety.
   In addition, AASHTO elected Rhode Island Transportation Director Michael Lewis as its president for the next year, and Mike Hancock, secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, to vice president.