Nancy Daubenberger, a Lead[ing] Engineer

Nancy Daubenberger, P.E. (MSCE 1997), is the Commissioner of Transportation in the State of Minnesota. She was appointed to this post by Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flannagan in May of 2022. Prior to her current role, she served as the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Engineer, Assistant Commissioner for Engineering Services, the State Bridge Engineer, and also previously served in planning, project management and design roles for the MnDOT Bridge Office and Metro District. Before coming to MnDOT, she worked in consulting for about six years, in both bridge and road design.

On a guiding philosophy…
I was an Assistant State Bridge Engineer when the I-35W bridge collapsed. One thing that has come from that experience is that it puts the day-to-day challenges that we face in perspective. Oftentimes I will think to myself, well, this isn’t a bridge collapse, this isn’t figuring out how to have almost half your staff suddenly working from home due to a pandemic. This is just a day-to-day challenge.”

On leading Minnesota…
It is very much a privilege and an honor to lead MnDOT and serve in this role, especially seeing how in this role I can affect policy and shape the future of transportation and the Department of Transportation in the state of Minnesota. I’m proud to have always called Minnesota my home, I’m proud of my MnDOT team and the service we provide to the people of Minnesota, and I’m proud to say that Minnesota is a leading state in advancing a safe, equitable, and sustainable multi-modal transportation system.

On the benefits of a wide perspective…
Minnesota is a large state geographically and very diverse. There are different challenges in Greater Minnesota and rural areas than what are faced in the metro area. An interesting part of being the Commissioner is that I get to be involved in diverse challenges and opportunities throughout the state. That has given me a deeper appreciation of all that we have in Minnesota—our different communities, cultures, resources, needs, industries, topographies, geologies, around the state.

On what engineers bring to the table…
There are currently two engineers in the governor’s cabinet, Commissioner Kessler and me. The role of transportation commissioner has not traditionally been held by an engineer, although there have been a few over the years. It is not a requirement in coming to the position; however, my engineering background and over 23 years of experience with MnDOT gives me a unique perspective in taking on this position. I lean on my engineering background when we are making decisions on investments, policies, or processes. A lot of MnDOT staff are engineers or engineering technicians who use their skills to assess and recommend different options. My engineering background helps me understand the different approaches we could take and ensures we’re upholding the principles of ethics and public safety, as well as applying an equity lens. My background helps with stakeholder analyses, too, to understand who is affected by which decisions and how.

On preparing the next generation of engineers and leaders…
A big challenge is getting prospective students interested in the civil engineering fields. The ability and the privilege to work on public projects is really a wonderful thing! I can say that because I have worked in the field a long time and I take great pride in what we have done as an industry and in the field of civil engineering, not just in my time but looking back over the years. We really need to get students interested in the field, and we have to start young, at elementary ages, to get them interested in engineering in general and civil engineering in particular. For college students, experiential learning is so important. We want to continue to provide opportunities for work or internships, so they get a taste of what the work is. We should continually revisit the program to see what is relevant in regard to coursework and where we need to be going. And certainly, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is important. I have been impressed with the advances CEGE and UMN have made in the areas of DEI; however, there is still more work to do.