Rachel Duda was appointed District Executive for Engineering District 12 in mid-December, replacing Bill Kovach who had served in the position for three years prior. She is the fourth ever female PennDOT district executive and, currently, the only one serving.
Rachel graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering, and shortly thereafter accepted the job of Civil Engineer Trainee with District 12. Since then, and for the past 25 years, she has worked in various positions in the Design, Construction, and Maintenance units, and was Assistant District Executive – Design for the past 13 years.
With new leadership come new missions and goals. “District 12 will provide a sustainable and equitable transportation system with quality services that are embraced by our communities and add value to our customers," Rachel said. “My core mission is that of the district – to provide a better quality of life built on transportation excellence."
Her primary goal is to find ways that improve safety and save people's lives though advances in the transportation system. “I feel privileged to be part of an organization that has the confidence in me to represent PennDOT in southwestern Pennsylvania, and is allowing me to make these decisions," she said.
District 12 includes the counties of Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties which encompass 10 cities and 193 municipalities. It owns and maintains approximately 2,349 bridges, 3,600 roadway miles, 164 miles of bicycle routes, and thousands of additional assets. “The most important asset of District 12 is our 783 talented and dedicated employees who fulfill our mission of designing, building, and maintaining our assets," Rachel said.
Learn more about our amazing PennDOT team members here.