Oregon Department of Transportation Director Kris Strickler plans to retire Jan. 2, saying it is time for a new chapter within the agency now that the state has figured out how to fill its massive budget shortfalls.
Strickler is the agency’s second longest-serving director, serving since 2019 and leading the department’s 4,500 employees during the 2020 Labor Day wildfires, the COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s most recent transportation funding shortage that almost resulted in nearly 500 layoffs this year. He and the agency he led came under intense scrutiny from lawmakers as he tried to convince them to fill a roughly $300 million budget hole and provide long-term funding for the state’s transportation needs.
“The decision to leave ODOT did not come easily to me, but with funding for the maintenance and operations of our transportation system secured, now is the time for new leadership to lead ODOT’s next chapter,” Strickler said in a statement. “The employees of ODOT are dedicated to improving the lives of Oregonians and because of that commitment, I know ODOT will continue to thrive.”
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After Oregon lawmakers failed to pass a transportation funding plan during the regular six-month 2025 legislative session, Democrats in a month-long September special session secured enough votes to pass a transportation bill to raise $4.3 billion for the agency over the next 10 years.
Gov. Tina Kotek signed the bill into law on Monday, securing new revenue streams for the agency. However, Republican opponents filed for a referendum this week and are in the process of gathering signatures to give Oregonians a chance to stop the law until they can potentially overturn it on the November 2026 ballot.
“Kris helped guide ODOT through multiple statewide natural disasters and tackled longstanding issues facing transportation including unprecedented inflation that continues to drive up costs and a structural revenue issue impacting the maintenance of our state and local transportation system,” Oregon Transportation Commission Chair Julie Brown said in a statement.
Strickler, during a meeting with the Oregon Transportation Commission on Thursday, said he has nothing but confidence in the future of the agency.
“Any leader that has the opportunity to succeed does so because they are standing on the shoulders of people who are delivering the work,” Strickler said during the meeting.
In the meantime, Kotek will appoint Oregon Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Sumption as interim transportation director. Sumption has served as the agency’s director since 2014, overseeing the 900 employees who look after Oregon’s state park system, historical sites and campgrounds. Oregon State Parks and Recreation Deputy Director of Business Administration Stephanie Coons will serve as interim director, according to a press release from ODOT.
Kotek said the state must now embark on a nationwide search to hire a new director. Legislation passed this year shifted the ability to hire and fire transportation directors from the five-member transportation commission to Kotek.
“A dedicated leader who has not shied away from embracing challenges, Kris is one of the longest tenured directors in the history of the agency,” Kotek said in a statement. “I’m grateful for his years of service and his unrelenting focus on making sure Oregonians can keep moving, safely, sustainably, and without delay.”
This story originally appeared in the Oregon Capital Chronicle and is republished here under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Read more stories at oregoncapitalchronicle.com.
