Big wheels are turning in Oakland as the city administration announces Josh Rowan is stepping in as the new Director of the City of Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT), ready to shift gears starting April 15. Rowan, who holds a commendable track record for spearheading transportation projects, comes off a successful tenure as Atlanta's inaugural transportation commissioner. According to the city's official announcement, his resume lists major corridor improvements and the implementation of innovative safety measures in school zones.
Focused now on Oakland's diverse streets, Rowan carries the weight of his new responsibilities, which focus on safety, equity, and mobility in transportation systems. The city underscores his philosophy as a "relentless incrementalist" who invests belief in maintenance and operations excellence to root an agency's success. Stoutly, having danced through both the private sector in transportation across the eastern U.S. and Africa to public agency leadership, Josh claims experience in various quarters of the industry.
Oakland's city infrastructure will likely see the effect of Rowan's experience, which includes his development strategy for the Moving Atlanta Forward capital program, which garnered nearly 80% support by popular referendum.
As part of his vision for Oakland's thoroughfares, Director Rowan emphasizes the importance of safety, stating, "Safety is our business. Everyone should be able to move freely and safely throughout Oakland using their desired mode of transportation, no matter where they live." Walking and talking, he demonstrated his dedication to community engagement by personally walking over 200 miles to tackle local issues in Atlanta, as per the program development.
The City of Oakland is banking on Rowan’s expertise to drive forward a bevy of departmental achievements under his belt, from streetlight repairs and expansions worth $30M to the installation of traffic signal preemption systems that favor fire and EMS. Recently, Oakland has also filled critical positions in its leadership team, with hires for the Deputy City Administrator and department heads across various sectors, signaling a time of transformation and team-building efforts to propel the city’s services into an era of progress and concerted civic engagement.
