The leadership of Oregon’s transportation system is once again undergoing a significant transition as Governor Tina Kotek has appointed her chief of staff, Chris Warner, to serve as interim director of the Oregon Department of Transportation, placing one of her closest advisers at the helm of an agency facing some of the most consequential challenges in its history.
The appointment, announced June 2, comes as the state continues its search for a permanent director to oversee Oregon’s vast transportation network. Warner will assume the interim role later this month, succeeding Lisa Sumption, who has been serving as interim director while maintaining her leadership position with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Sumption is expected to return full-time to that role once the transition is complete.
For many Oregonians, leadership changes inside state government often occur far from public view. However, this appointment arrives at a time when transportation policy, infrastructure funding, highway maintenance, and long-term planning have become some of the most closely watched issues facing state leaders.
The Oregon Department of Transportation is responsible for overseeing thousands of miles of state highways, hundreds of bridges, transportation safety programs, freight mobility corridors, and numerous infrastructure projects that affect communities from Portland to the Oregon coast and throughout Southern and Eastern Oregon. The agency’s decisions influence everything from daily commutes and commercial transportation to emergency evacuation routes during wildfire season.
Warner brings decades of transportation and public policy experience to the position. Before joining Governor Kotek’s administration, he served as director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, one of the largest municipal transportation systems in the Pacific Northwest. His background also includes work as a transportation adviser in former Governor Ted Kulongoski’s administration and service on transportation and infrastructure matters for former U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, a longtime member of Congress known nationally for his work on transportation policy.
Within the Governor’s Office, Warner has played a central role in managing agency operations and state government initiatives. He was promoted to chief of staff in 2024 after serving as deputy chief of staff and has been considered one of the governor’s most trusted advisers on matters involving state agencies and public administration.
His move to ODOT places an experienced transportation professional directly in charge of an agency confronting growing financial and operational pressures. Like transportation departments across the nation, Oregon faces rising construction costs, aging infrastructure, increased maintenance demands, and ongoing debates about how transportation projects should be funded in the years ahead.
The leadership change also comes as lawmakers, local governments, business organizations, and transportation advocates continue discussions about the future of Oregon’s transportation funding system. Questions surrounding road preservation, bridge maintenance, freight movement, public safety improvements, and long-term infrastructure investments remain central issues in Salem.
For residents in Southern Oregon, the appointment is particularly noteworthy because transportation decisions made in Salem frequently have direct impacts on communities throughout Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, Klamath, and surrounding counties. State highway maintenance, Interstate 5 improvements, rural road preservation, freight routes serving local businesses, and emergency transportation planning all fall under the agency’s broad responsibilities.
While the transition is not expected to immediately alter existing transportation projects or services, Warner’s leadership will help guide decisions that shape future priorities across the state. His interim tenure is expected to focus on maintaining continuity within the agency while supporting the ongoing search for a permanent director.
The appointment also creates a leadership shift inside the Governor’s Office. Emerald Bogue, who has served as a special adviser to Governor Kotek and previously worked with the Port of Portland, will become the governor’s new chief of staff.
The changes reflect a broader effort by the administration to maintain stability during a period of transition for one of Oregon’s most important state agencies. With transportation funding, infrastructure investment, and economic development remaining key concerns across Oregon, the leadership of ODOT will continue to play a critical role in shaping how the state addresses its transportation needs in the years ahead.
As the search for a permanent director continues, Warner now finds himself overseeing an agency whose decisions touch nearly every Oregonian, whether through daily travel, commercial transportation, public safety, or the infrastructure that keeps communities connected across one of the nation’s most geographically diverse states.