New secretary to lead Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation

The Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation will have a new leader starting next month.

On Friday, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said he is appointing Kristina Boardman to serve as DOT secretary. She currently serves as the department’s deputy secretary. Boardman will be the first female secretary in the department’s history, according to review of records by Wisconsin’s Legislative Reference Bureau.

She replaces DOT Secretary Craig Thompson, who is stepping down effective Sept. 11 for a role as vice chancellor of university relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His departure was also announced Friday.

Evers first appointed Thompson as transportation secretary in 2019, and the state Senate confirmed that appointment in 2021.

The department’s total two-year budget spans more than $8 billion.

“Craig has done a tremendous job at the helm of the Department of Transportation, and I could not be prouder of all the work we’ve been able to do together,” Evers said in a written statement. “From fixing thousands of miles of roads and bridges — enough (to) drive from Wisconsin to Key West, Florida, and back, twice — to celebrating the launch of the first new passenger rail train in Wisconsin in over 20 years to making critical headway on building the 21st-century infrastructure we need to compete in the 21st-century economy, Craig has been part of this work every mile of the way.”

Before serving as deputy secretary of the transportation department, Boardman worked as the administrator of Wisconsin’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

Evers’ appointment of Boardman is still pending confirmation by Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Senate. Boardman will be known as a secretary-designee until she is confirmed. But she’ll be allowed to serve in the role overseeing day to day operations while awaiting confirmation.