Who's New
Cory Binns, chief deputy director of Caltrans
Cory Binns is the new chief deputy director of the California Department of Transportation. Cory is well known throughout the Caltrans family, having served as both the deputy director of Maintenance and Operations and the District 11 director.
He brings extensive leadership experience and a deep understanding of the transportation infrastructure, having most recently served as a retired annuitant director of construction and engineering at the San Diego Association of Governments. In his new role, he will work closely with the executive leadership team to support Caltrans’ strategic priorities, drive operational excellence, and ensure effective delivery of our mission to provide a safe and sustainable transportation system for all Californians.
This appointment underscores the Governor’s confidence in Cory’s capabilities to help guide Caltrans through our current and future challenges, strengthening organizational performance and delivering meaningful results for the people of California.
Cassandra Schmitz, chief of staff to deputy director of Administration.
Cassandra Schmitz is the new chief of staff to the deputy director of Administration.
Cassandra brings a strong understanding of the Administration program, having served in multiple roles at Caltrans, most recently as a Staff Services Manager I, Organizational Excellence Specialist. In that role, she led enterprise-level governance efforts, coordinated cross-functional priorities across all Administration divisions, and supported executive leadership through strategic planning, communication, and organizational improvement initiatives.
With experience spanning state service, local government, nonprofit and private-sector environments, Cassandra is known for a collaborative leadership style, sound judgment, and a deep commitment to employee excellence, integrity and public service.
Matt Smith, Broadband Facilities Program coordinator in Division of Design.
Matt Smith is the new Broadband Facilities Program coordinator in the Headquarters Division of Design.
Matt Smith holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Humboldt State University (CalPoly). As a student, he worked for the Department of Water Resources performing stream gauge monitoring along the North Coast. He began his Caltrans career in 2008 with the District 1 Office of Advance Planning. He soon moved onto the Office of Traffic Safety working for three years as the Highway Safety Improvement Program coordinator, scoping and initiating several safety projects.
Matt then moved into Design where he spent a majority of his career developing a variety of projects through PA&ED and RTL, including some early involvement with alternatives for the Last Chance Grade project on Route 101.
In 2022, he moved to Marysville (District 3) to assume the role of design senior for the MMBN Design branch focused on the Eureka (District 1) geographic area, where he led the design team to deliver multiple MMBN Caltrans Build Job Order Contract (JOC) and Construction Manager – General Contractor (CMGC) projects.
Matt continued the MMBN work as it evolved into the encroachment permit system of delivery, working with the Encroachment office to perform design reviews and provide guidance to the applicants.
Outside work, hobbies are limited while raising three children ranging from 4 to 16 years old. He enjoys spending time with his family and exploring the lakes and rivers in the surrounding area. They still travel back to the North Coast to visit friends and enjoy the ocean and redwoods. He still manages to snowboard and see some concerts a few times a year and is considering reviving an older hobby of playing drums.