Jennifer Mitchell

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Jennifer Mitchell was named Senior Advisor of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on September 16, 2024. Previously, she served as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration since April 2022. In that role, she provided executive leadership and direction on agency operations and policy matters, including the agency’s grants programs and rail development activities. She has played a key role in implementing the provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and oversight of major passenger rail capital projects.

Prior to joining USDOT she served for eight years as Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) where she provided strategic advice to the Secretary of Transportation on multimodal issues and developed new funding programs for transit and passenger rail. During her tenure with DRPT she led several major initiatives, including landmark agreements with CSX, Norfolk Southern and Amtrak to significantly expand passenger rail service across the Commonwealth, and project development for the new Long Bridge across the Potomac River. She also helped create the Washington Metropolitan Safety Commission with Maryland and the District of Columbia, legislation providing dedicated regional funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and the SmartScale multimodal transportation funding program. Jennifer oversaw the development of the multimodal components of P3 projects including the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway, the I-395 Express Lanes and extension of the I-95 Express Lanes. As DRPT Director she served as a member of the Commonwealth’s Public Private Partnership Advisory Committee, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, and several regional transportation boards and commissions.

Prior to joining the Commonwealth Jennifer worked with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority as the Deputy Project Director for Finance on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. She also held positions in consulting firms where she developed funding plans and project delivery strategies for major capital projects.

Jennifer has served on the Executive Committee of the American Public Transportation Association, the Women’s Transportation Seminar International Board of Directors, and the Eno Center for Transportation Board of Regents. In 2018 she was named by Railway Age as a Woman of the Year, and in 2020 she was named by the Council of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) as a Woman that Moves the Nation. She holds a Bachelor of City Planning degree from the University of Virginia and a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.