After months scouring the nation for a state transportation commissioner, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has chosen to give Interim Commissioner James Redeker the job permanently.
Redeker, 57, was named the interim head of the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) last March after the previous interim boss Jeffrey Parker — appointed by former Gov. M. Jodi Rell — resigned in February.
Malloy said Thursday he was impressed by Redeker’s confidence, vision and management abilities during his time as interim commissioner and decided to make him the permanent DOT head.
“When I appointed Jim to lead the Department of Transportation on an interim basis back in March, I was already in the midst of a nationwide search for top talent who could help us move our state’s transportation infrastructure into the 21st century,” Malloy said in the announcement.
Redeker joined DOT in 2008 following a 30-year career with the New Jersey Department of Transportation and NJ Transit. Immediately prior to becoming interim commissioner in March, Redeker was the chief of Connecticut DOT’s Bureau of Public Transportation, in charge of the state’s rail and bus programs.
