Who's new

David Man, chief of the Division of Traffic Operations

David Man is Caltrans’ new chief of the Division of Traffic Operations. David will lead the department to the forefront of providing next generation mobility solutions and services that stimulate the economy, strengthen local communities, support climate action, and help save lives in our commitment to zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2050.

Over the past eight months as the acting chief of the Division of Traffic Operations, David has led the team to significant progress on key initiatives that will help maximize system performance and create a safer system, meeting dynamic and evolving demands while preparing the department for a technology‑dependent future.

David’s commitment to charting a new roadmap for Traffic Operations, establishing and expanding critical partnerships, initiating development of a virtual sandbox to test new technologies, forming a new Office of Transformational Mobility, and creating pathways to build on the skills of our workforce will allow our department to deliver on key objectives and to be incubators of new ideas with strategies and people to make them a reality. 

Prior to joining Headquarters, David spent most of his career with Caltrans in one of the most diverse and complex transportation environments, in the Bay Area.  He has been instrumental in pioneering and deploying Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), ensuring successful funding and completion of operational improvement and safety projects, and day‑to‑day management of traffic throughout the Bay Area’s nine counties serving 7.6 million residents and more than 20 million visitors a year.

David is a graduate of UC San Diego with bachelor's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Political Science, and he earned a masters in transportation management from the Mineta Transportation Institute. 

In his personal life, David enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter (currently going through a raucous bout of “terrible twos”) and, of course, the occasional round of golf.

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Rebecca Mowry, office chief for Program Management Office in Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative Program

Rebecca Mowry is the new office chief for the Program Management Office in the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative Program. 

Rebecca is leading the office responsible for establishing and implementing program guidance and supporting the districts in delivering their portfolio of Middle-Mile Broadband Network projects.

Rebecca brings to her new role a diverse background that incorporates a variety of project delivery functions and spans more than 30 years with Caltrans, including 23 years as a senior transportation engineer.

Most recently, Rebecca served as the Complete Streets subject matter expert in the Division of Design’s Office of Standards and Procedures, where she was the editor of the bicycle, pedestrian and ADA design standards. During this time, she also held a temporary assignment as acting project delivery coordinator where she supported Districts 7 and 12 with navigating the challenges of managing project changes and evaluating complex design decisions.

Prior to her current position, Rebecca worked in District 3 as a project manager assigned primarily to oversight projects sponsored and funded by local agency partners. 

In other roles, Rebecca worked in the Headquarters Division of Construction as the subject matter expert for the Oversight RE Guidelines, and previously in the Division of Design as a design reviewer providing technical support to District designers on geometric highway design.

For the last three years, Rebecca has also served as a voting member of the AASHTO Technical Committee on Non-Motorized Transportation. She has been an active member of WTS Sacramento for more than a decade, receiving the Member of the Year Award in 2019. 

She is a graduate of CSU Sacramento with her bachelor’s in civil engineering. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys traveling with her family and friends including camping, cruising, and scuba diving. 

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Saad Samani, office chief for Alternative Delivery Office in Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative Program

Saad Samani is the new office chief for the Alternative Delivery Office in the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative Program. 

Saad leads the office that is responsible for supporting the districts through the development and procurement of the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) and Job Order Contracting (JOC) contracting methods, including coordination of the work orders and work packages that result in construction of the Middle-Mile Broadband Network.

With more than 18 years of experience with Caltrans and more than six years with the city of Sacramento as a project manager and program manager, Saad brings key skills and experience to this new office. In his roles, Saad’s successful collaboration with external and internal partners has built consensus, ensured compliance with federal and state regulations, and strengthened partnerships to meet delivery commitments.

At Caltrans, Saad has worked in Project PID Development, Highway Operations, Construction, Local Assistance and DPAC. Since 2020, he has been an alternative delivery engineer with the Division of Design’s Office of Innovative Design and Delivery, where he has been responsible for developing, implementing and updating policies, procedures and guidelines for Design Build, CMGC, and JOC.

He was the lead alternative delivery engineer responsible for procuring the $2 billion Middle Mile Broadband Network JOCs. He was also the alternative delivery engineer delivering and managing more than $1 billion of CMGC and Design-Build projects, such as the San Barbara 101 HOV Lanes CMGC, Interstate10 Rehabilitation Design Build, and Interstate 405 Multi Asset Design Build. 

As a project manager for the city of Sacramento, Saad was responsible for delivering the Interstate 5 Cosumnes River Blvd Interchange Project and other major city projects while implementing the city’s vision for incorporating safe and economically enticing elements that include all modes of transportations with heavy community input.

In his free time, Saad enjoys spending time with his children, Rakan (15) and Leila (11).