Omer Osman

Illinois Department of Transportation

Omer Osman was appointed Transportation Secretary by Gov. JB Pritzker in 2019. His role as secretary reflects three decades of experience at the Illinois Department of Transportation in engineering and management.

Moving through the IDOT ranks gives him unique insight into department operations and scope, funding challenges and opportunities, as well as the need for strategic maintenance and infrastructure growth to support economic development and travel for Illinois residents.

Under his leadership, IDOT continues to champion diversity. He remains an advocate for eliminating barriers and increasing access to IDOT partnerships with Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and minority- and female-owned businesses.

His vast experience in transportation includes the management and advancement of complex projects and the assessment of current resources to inform funding and programmatic needs to create a multimodal system for the 21st century.

He assisted in the passage of the transportation component of Rebuild Illinois with Governor Pritzker and Illinois General Assembly. Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois is investing a total of $33.2 billion over six years into the state’s aging system, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. Rebuild Illinois is not only the largest capital program in state history, but also the first that touches all modes of transportation.

He has continued to guide IDOT during the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic beginning in 2020. His commitment to keeping projects open and safe provided invaluable reassurance to the transportation industry at a time of great uncertainty. He also mobilized IDOT’s operations teams to deliver key personal protective equipment throughout the state. 

A native of the Sudan, Osman came to the United States to study civil engineering at Southern University and A & M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He also earned a master’s in civil engineering with an emphasis in construction management at Bradley University in Peoria

Sudhakar Rao Doppalapudi

Interra

Sudhakar Rao Doppalapudi, P.E., is a Civil Engineer with more than 35 years of experience in the construction industry. He has a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from India and a Masters in Geotechnical Engineering from IIT Chicago. He co-founded Interra in 1996 to provide Geotechnical and construction materials testing services to the industry. He has supervised and led efforts on numerous projects for IDOT, Illinois Tollway, CDOT, Public Building Commission of Chicago and private developers. Primary role at Interra consists of Materials QA/QC, Geotechnical Analysis, Constructability reviews and Project Management services. A few of the noteworthy projects include Fullerton Theater on the Lake, Illinois Tollway Elgin O’Hare Western Access (EOWA), Circle Interchange, Great Lakes Naval Facility for the U.S. Navy, the CTA Brown Line, and O’Hare Airport’s GEM Building for the United Airlines and numerous school projects in the city. Active participant in the various associations like ACEC, IRTBA and HACIA.