The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has named its chief engineer Dave Nichols to serve as director of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Nichols is a 29-year veteran of the department who was elevated last month to serve as interim director following the announcement that director Kevin Keith would be taking a medical leave ahead of his July retirement.
"Dave Nichols has the talent, skills, and experience needed to be a successful leader for MoDOT," commission chairman Joe Carmichael. "The commission has unanimously agreed that a prolonged search for a new director was unnecessary, as the right person for the job was already here."
Nichols has served as the department's chief engineer and as its first director of program delivery.