Who's New

Gillian Gillett, division chief of Data and Digital Services

Gillian Gillett has been appointed division chief of Data and Digital Services (DDS).

For more than a year, Gillian has served as acting division chief of DDS while also leading the California Integrated Mobility Program at Caltrans. During this time, she has built a multidisciplinary team that provides technical assistance to more than 200 California transit operators, helping them modernize service through standards-based technologies, open payments, automated discounts, and digital planning and grant-management tools.

Previously, Gillian served as director of transportation policy for San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, where she advanced funding for Caltrain electrification, negotiated the Bay Area Bike Share program, led regional transportation and land-use advocacy, and co-architected San Francisco's successful first-phase proposal for the USDOT Smart City Challenge.

She also served on the Caltrain Board of Directors from 2017 to 2019, chairing the Board in 2019 during the first year of Caltrain electrification.

Earlier in her career, Gillian was chief of staff to San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, chaired SPUR's Transportation Policy Board, and co-founded Graffio, a custom software development company serving major financial services and healthcare organizations.

Her career brings together technology entrepreneurship, public policy, transportation partnerships and governance, and the delivery of large-scale public services.

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Jennifer Simmers, deputy division chief in Safety and Management Services

Jennifer Simmers as the new deputy division chief over the Office of Employee Health and Safety, Workers Compensation, Reasonable Accommodation and FMLA.

Jennifer began her career with the state in 2017 and became part of the Caltrans family in 2019, joining the Office of Employee Health and Safety.

As the office chief of Employee Health and Safety, Jennifer has been instrumental in leading, developing and streamlining processes, policies, and training for major department-wide employee health and safety initiatives. She has also contributed significantly to hybrid telework efforts, ensuring that employees are supported and protected in both traditional and remote work environments.

Jennifer holds a bachelor of arts in psychology, specializing in industrial organization psychology, from California State University, Long Beach. During her studies, she cultivated a passion for mental health awareness and gained insight into the factors that impact overall wellbeing, particularly in workplace settings.

Jennifer later earned a master of business administration degree with a concentration in business analytics from California State University, Sacramento. This advanced education enhanced her leadership abilities, curiosity, innovation and commitment to continuous learning.

Outside of her professional life, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters. She loves traveling, especially to destinations with beaches, and considers herself a “foodie.” Jennifer also values learning new skills, particularly those that allow her to express her artistic and creative side.

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Luc Sou, division chief of Procurement and Contracts

Luc Sou is the new division chief of Caltrans’ Division of Procurement and Contracts,

Luc is a results-driven leader with more than 20 years of experience leading automation initiatives from concept to completion, enterprise-level governance, portfolio oversight, and contract management in complex, highly regulated environments. She specializes in modernizing legacy systems and implementing enterprise-wide automation platforms while balancing strategic goals with organizational needs.

Since joining Caltrans in 2018, Luc has served as division chief of the IT Project and Business Management Division, leading enterprise projects, automation initiatives, strategic planning, and technology business management. In this role, she was responsible for driving system automation initiatives and strategic planning to ensuing the division aligns with the organization's overarching digital transformation goals.

Her proven track record in enterprise transformation led to her being entrusted with establishing the CalSTA Enterprise Portfolio Management Office (EPMO), where she standardized governance frameworks, performance metrics, and stage‑gate methodologies across the agency.

Prior to joining Caltrans, she contributed to shaping statewide IT governance policies at Department of Technology (CDT) and provided expertise in procurement and project-approval reforms

Luc holds a Bachelor of arts in psychology and is a certified project management professional.