Victor Mendez has served as the 20th United States Deputy Secretary of Transportation since July 30, 2014.
As Deputy Secretary, Mendez is the Department of Transportation’s chief operating officer, responsible for day-to-day operations of the 10 modal administrations and the work of more than 55,000 USDOT employees nationwide and overseas. Mendez is focused on ensuring the safety and efficiency of America’s transportation system, which plays a key role in economic development.
Along with Secretary Foxx, Deputy Secretary Mendez has led the DOT in an unprecedented pivot towards innovation to solve safety challenges in American transportation. For his accomplishments, in March of 2016, Deputy Secretary Mendez was recognized as a Legacy Award recipient by the American Council of Engineering Companies in Arizona.
In addition to his work with external stakeholders, Deputy Secretary Mendez has also made employee engagement a top priority at the Department, and under his leadership as the Department’s COO, the Department has made major overall improvements on the annual employee viewpoint survey.
Before becoming Deputy Secretary, Mendez was the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration since July 2009, where he oversaw the agency’s 2,900 employees in Washington and field offices across the country.
During his time at FHWA, he turned his lifelong interest in innovation and technology into launching the Every Day Counts initiative, which gives states a range of tools and technologies to streamline construction projects and make them more cost effective.
Before joining DOT, Mendez served as Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation. He has more than 20 years of State DOT experience.
Mendez earned a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso and later earned an MBA from Arizona State University. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Arizona.