Who's New

Sudha Kodali, chief of the Office of Capital Improvement Programs, Division of Financial Programming

Sudha Kodali is the new chief of the Office of Capital Improvement Programs within the Division of Financial Programming.

Since joining Caltrans in 2005, Sudha has worked across a variety of functional units, such as the North Region Division of Project Development, Transportation Management Plan, Contract Engineering within the Division of Construction, Advance Planning and Forecasting, and the Office of Capital Improvement Programming at both District 3 and Headquarters.  Some of her notable accomplishments include:

• Delivering capital Improvement projects in compliance with local, state and federal regulations, standards and procedures.
• Reviewing local development-intergovernmental products to assess the local development proposals for impacts and evaluate results and mitigation for new developments on the State Highway System.
• Managing the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, coordinating the Border Infrastructure Program, and Senate Bill 1 program projects, including programming, amendments, time extensions, and allocations, for the southern districts in Districts 7, 8, 11 and 12.

Sudha was born and raised in India and immigrated to the United States in 2002.  She received her master’s degree in civil engineering in December 2004 from the University of Texas, Arlington. 

While out of the office, she enjoys watching movies, cooking and spending time with her husband and their son and daughter.

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Marlon Regisford, District 7 deputy district director of planning and local assistance

Marlon Regisford is District 7’s new deputy district director of planning and local assistance.

Marlon is a 17-year veteran of Caltrans. He most recently served as the deputy district director of planning, local assistance and environmental in District 10.

He is responsible for the delivery of division functions, including development of long-range strategic plans for preliminary planning and feasibility studies. In addition, he supports Regional Transportation Planning and Transit Agency partners in their Regional Planning and Project Development activities, and provides oversight of environmental review to ensure compliance with federal and state laws and regulations.

Marlon develops innovative and effective transportation strategies for the district and provides technical support and assistance to local cities and counties that enhance the delivery of locally sponsored projects utilizing transportation funds.

Previously, Marlon served as Caltrans Headquarters’ sustainability projects manager. Prior to that, Marlon served as the District 12 system planning branch chief, overseeing active transportation, freight, modeling/forecasting, grants, air quality, Park and Ride, and Rideshare functions.

Marlon has also served as District Complete Streets coordinator.

Marlon holds a bachelor of science degree in urban and regional planning from Cal Poly Pomona, and a master of science degree in transportation management from San Jose State University.

Marlon has previously served on the American Planning Association, California Chapter, Orange County Section Board.

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Matt Rocco, assistant deputy director of Public Affairs

Matt Rocco is the new assistant deputy director of Public Affairs.

Matt has spent the past 30 years working in the communications/public relations field, and most recently as the acting assistant deputy director of Public Affairs.

Over the past 17 years at Caltrans, Matt has promoted the department’s vision to the public and discussed a wide variety of transportation subjects with the media, including the need for stable state and federal transportation funding, sustainability efforts by the department and projects that place California at the forefront in innovative transportation solutions.

In addition to continuous efforts to raise awareness and educate the public on the department’s priorities – Safety, Equity, Climate Action and Economic Prosperity – Matt and his team are overseeing the management of three public education campaigns for safety, stormwater pollution awareness and Clean California. 

Earlier in his career, Matt worked on public service campaigns, including educating the public on HIV prevention during the height of the AIDS crisis. In this respect, he continues to champion diversity, equity and inclusion with his work at Caltrans and his advocacy of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Matt earned his master of public administration degree and bachelor of arts in communications/public relations. He lives in Sacramento with his husband, two dogs and three cats. 

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John Yang, District 7’s deputy district director for Construction

John Yang is District 7’s new deputy district director for Construction.

John has been with District 7 for 32 years and brings a wealth of experience from various disciplines in Caltrans. He served as District 7’s acting deputy district director in Construction for the last six months. He was also the acting deputy district director for District 7's Maintenance Division for six months in 2013.

Between 1991 and 1997, John went through District 7's rotation program and worked in Office of Project Development A, Operations, District Construction, Seismic Design, and Structures Construction.

In 1997, he was promoted to take on the role of district office engineer and responsible for all PS&E delivery through DES OE. In 2005, he took on the role of district traffic manager overseeing the operations of Transportation Management Plan (TMP), Traffic Management Team (TMT), Planned Lane Closure reviews and Transportation Management Center (TMC).

In 2013, John was promoted to be the principal transportation engineer in charge of Interstate 5 North and South Corridor construction and assisting the deputy district director overseeing the operation of the Division of Construction.

John is committed to implementing the department’s foundational principles of safety, equity, climate action and economic prosperity for our communities. He aims to advance the District Construction’s delivery culture, empower construction managers and their staff to meet delivery commitments, and satisfy the needs of our communities and stakeholders.

John and his wife, Stella, have one daughter and three grandchildren.