9-20-2022
In early 2019, Tim Gatz was appointed Secretary of Transportation by Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Transportation Commission named him Oklahoma Department of Transportation Executive Director, effective April 1, 2019.
Prior to that appointment, Gatz was named the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority in 2016 and previously served more than two decades at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Gatz started his career at ODOT as a Drafting Technician in 1990. Then in 1992, he became the Enhancements Program Coordinator and moved up to Special Projects Manager in 1997. In 2000, he became Division Manager of the Project Management Division where he was instrumental in the development of ODOT’s Eight-year Construction Work Plan.
Gatz was promoted to the Senior Staff position of Director of Capital Programs and Information Management in 2006 and led the department’s coordination with county governments to develop and deliver the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges Program which provides dedicated funds for high-priority county transportation projects statewide. He served as Deputy Director from 2013 until his appointment to OTA in 2016.
Gatz earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Oklahoma State University in 1989 and is a registered professional landscape architect. He has received several honors including the Oklahoma Good Roads & Transportation Association’s Bill Skeith Stewardship Award, the Governor’s Public Service Award and the Federal Highway Administration’s Partners In Quality Award. He is a member of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association and the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Gatz and his wife, Sandy, live in El Reno and have two sons.
Chair of the Day
Mike Patterson joined HNTB Corporation as a national transportation practice consultant and vice president. He is based in the firm’s Oklahoma City office.
Patterson serves as a strategic advisor to HNTB’s newly named Oklahoma City office practice leader, Heidi Katz, PE. Together they will help drive growth and exceptional project delivery to highway and toll clients in the Central U.S. region.
Patterson also supports HNTB’s national DOT and toll market teams in building and fostering relationships with clients across the country, working closely with John Barton, PE, HNTB’s national DOT market sector leader and senior vice president.
Patterson’s impressive career in transportation and finance spans more than 40 years. He most recently served as Secretary of Transportation for the State of Oklahoma. He also held a variety of leadership roles with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation including executive director, chief financial officer, and comptroller.
“Mike’s accomplishments and contributions within the transportation industry are significant and we are pleased to welcome him to HNTB,” said Barton. “His transportation expertise and financial acumen are invaluable as HNTB continues to grow our portfolio of comprehensive services.”
Patterson’s industry and community involvement is significant as well, including numerous active and past board and committee positions with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; the Women’s Transportation Seminar – Oklahoma chapter, and as a current member of the Board of Directors of Oklahoma Employees Credit Union. “We are excited about adding Mike to our team here in Oklahoma,” said Katz. “He will be a tremendous resource for our clients as we continue to deliver quality work and great value to them on their most complex and important projects.”
He earned a Master of Business Administration–Finance and Bachelor of Science–Accounting from University of Central Oklahoma.