MoDOT CFO steps in as interim director

The governing board of the Missouri Department of Transportation selected an interim director.

Chosen by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, Roberta Broeker starts in the interim role May 1. She succeeds the retiring Dave Nichols, according to a news release.

A 35-year employee of the state of Missouri, Broeker has spent the last 10 years as MoDOT’s chief financial officer. During her tenure, she’s served three directors of the transportation department.

"Roberta has the skills and experience to guide the department while we search for a permanent replacement," commission Chairman Stephen Miller said in the release. "With Roberta's help, we are positioned for a seamless transition for employees, customers and stakeholders."

Nichols, who has an over 30-year career with MoDOT, had worked as chief engineer before moving to the interim director position in April 2013 after Kevin Keith stepped down for health reasons. Nichols was named permanent director that same spring.

Broeker inherits a transportation department facing financial issues. In early February, the Highways and Transportation Commission approved an initiative dubbed Missouri’s 325 System, which outlines MoDOT’s limited responsibilities with a construction budget expected to fall to $325 million in 2017. Between 2005 and 2010, the transportation department’s annual construction budget averaged $1.3 billion, falling to $685 million last year, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

The highway commission hired St. Louis-based executive search firm Grant Cooper & Associates to help identify a permanent successor to Nichols, an announcement of which is expected in the fall, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]