Neil Pederson

Neil Pedersen served as Executive Director of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) from 2015 to 2022, where he provided strategic leadership for TRB's technical activities, including its annual meeting with 14,000 attendees, 177 standing technical committees, conferences, workshops, and research programs. Before leading TRB, he spent 29 years at the Maryland Department of Transportation, with eight years as State Highway Administrator and Governor's Highway Safety Representative. His academic foundation includes bachelor's degrees in Civil Engineering and Urban Studies from Bucknell University and a master's degree in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University. His early career began as a transportation planning consultant at R.H. Pratt Associates and JHK Associates. Throughout his career, Pedersen has been recognized with numerous honors including the George S. Bartlett Award, the Road Gang's Lester P. Lamm Award, and AASHTO's Intermodal Award. Prior to becoming Executive Director, he served TRB as a volunteer for over 30 years in various leadership roles, including Chair of the TRB Executive Committee and the Technical Activities Council. Under his leadership at TRB, he championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives while expanding the organization's impact through research, policy studies, and international partnerships.