Shoshana Lew

Shoshana M. Lew (born 1983) is a career government administrator currently serving as the executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation. She is the daughter of former United States Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew.

Shoshana Lew
NationalityAmerican
Parent
Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation
Assumed office
February 5, 2019
GovernorJared Polis
Preceded byMike Lewis
Chief Operating Officer of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation
In office
April 23, 2017 – January 2019
GovernorGina Raimondo
Preceded byPeter Garino
Succeeded byLoren Doyle

Career

The Colorado Senate confirmed Lew's appointment to the position of executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) on February 5, 2019.[1] Prior to heading the Colorado Department of Transportation, Lew worked from April 2017 to January 2019 as the chief operating officer of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.[2] Before her appointment to Rhode Island's Department of Transportation, Lew worked for eight years in the Obama administration. The federal government positions she held were Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Transportation, Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs, U.S. Department of Transportation, Senior Adviser, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and Policy Adviser, White House Domestic Policy Council.[3]

Lew has a bachelor's degree in history from Harvard University and a master's degree in history from Northwestern University.[4] Lew's first position after she completed her graduate degree was at the Brookings Institution, where she served as policy analyst and research and policy assistant in the organization's Metropolitan Policy Program from 2007-2009.[5]

Tenure

Under Lew's tenure, the Colorado Department of Transportation has placed a greater emphasis on sustainable transportation, as opposed to freeway expansion. Under her leadership, the Colorado Transportation Commission approved a policy designed to stop any increases in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in Colorado, by requiring transportation planners to calculate any emissions associated with a project and mitigate accordingly.[6] The policy was approved by the State Transportation Commission on a 10-1 vote.[7] Apart from environmental benefits, this policy could deliver $40 billion in economic benefits, including fewer traffic collisions.[8]

Under this policy, the governor-appointed Colorado Transportation Commission would have authority to restrict funding for use only on climate-friendly transportation projects if the CDOT or a regional planning authority fails to meet its emissions reduction target. Lew stated that this policy allows for capacity increases, but that major projects would require offsets in the form of climate-friendly additions. Examples include the Bustang and Flatiron Flyer bus systems that serve Colorado communities.[6] The transportation commission would also have the authority to grant waivers to this policy. Lew stated this policy enables Colorado to "lead by example" in reducing emissions, in the face of increasing impacts of climate change.[7][9] The policy has received nationwide plaudits for "showing us how to end America's addiction to highway expansion".[10] However, it also received criticism for some who were concerned that the CDOT had become "preoccupied with cleaning the air."[6]

In her capacity as CDOT executive, Lew also serves as the CDOT representative to the Denver region's Regional Air Quality Council.[11]

References
  1. "Shoshana Lew confirmed as CDOT Executive Director". February 5, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. Anderson, Patrick (December 27, 2018). "R.I. transporation [sic] official heads west". Providence Journal. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  3. "Shoshana Lew, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program". The Brookings Institution. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  4. "About CDOT Executive Director & Staff". Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  5. "President Obama announces more key administration posts". The White House, President Barack Obama. September 18, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  6. "Colorado Proposes Climate-Conscious Transportation Rules". Governing. October 13, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  7. Woodruff, Chase (December 16, 2021). "Transportation Commission approves planning rule aimed at greenhouse gas cuts". Colorado Newsline. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  8. Minor, Nathaniel. "A Climate-Friendly Shift In Transportation Planning Would Bring Economic Benefits Too, A New Report Says". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  9. "StackPath". www.masstransitmag.com. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  10. Walker, Alissa (December 17, 2021). "One State Is Showing Us How to End America's Addiction to Highway Expansion". Curbed. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  11. "Shoshana Lew | RAQC". raqc.org. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
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