Alumna Gena Abraham is the first woman to head the state Department of Transportation.

Alumna Gena Lester Abraham becomes the Department of Transportation commissioner for the state of Georgia effective Dec. 1.

Abraham, CE 92, PhD CE 02, will become the DOT's 14th commissioner in the state's history and the first woman ever to hold the top transportation post. She will oversee 5,800 employees and an annual budget of more than $2 billion.

In February 2006, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed her as the state property officer. She has served as the executive secretary and director of the construction division of the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission since 2003. She also has worked as an assistant professor of construction engineering and management at Georgia Tech.

While director of the state's construction division, Abraham oversaw the erection of the Klaus Advanced Computing Technology Building and the Nanotechnology Research Center on the Tech campus.

A former chief engineer for the Georgia Building Authority, Abraham serves as chair of the Georgia Land Conservation Council, secretary/treasurer of the Sapelo Island Heritage Authority and as a member of the MARTA board, the state Board of Equalization and the Capital Asset Management Advisory Council.

Abraham replaces Harold Linnenkohl, who is retiring after a 40-year career with the DOT.