The Research and Development Executive Committee (RDEC) provides guidance and oversight of the Research Unit’s administration of the Department’s State Planning and Research (SPR) program in the following ways: providing fiscal accountability, reviewing and prioritizing research topics for development as research projects, monitoring progress of on-going studies, and tracking implementation of results from completed studies.  The Research Unit supports RDEC in these efforts through presentations of ongoing and completed projects at biannual Committee meetings.

Membership is composed of high-level managers from key divisions of the Department, two District Engineering Administrators, and representatives from the Office of Materials and Research and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).  The makeup and organization of the Committee is shown below.

Committee Organization Chart
Vacant, Deputy Secretary for Engineering, Chairman
Brent Rewis, Deputy Secretary for Intermodal Planning
Maggie Hendry (Interim), Deputy Secretary for Finance & Administration
Randall Young, Chief Engineer for Project Delivery
Andy Leaphart, Chief Engineer for Operations
George Kinard, Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Services
Robbie Isgett, Director of Construction
Robert Bedenbaugh, Director of Engineering Support
Jeff Terry, Director of Maintenance
John Boylston, Director of Preconstruction
Brent Dillon, Director of Traffic Engineering
Machael Peterson, Director of Planning
Chad Long, Director of Environmental Services
Michael Barbee, Director of Right of Way
Doug Frate, Director of Intermodal and Freight Programs
Rob Perry, Chief Engineer for Bridges
Darrin Player, Chief Procurement Officer
Chris Gaskins, Director of Alternative Delivery
Robert Dickinson, District Engineering Administrator, District 1
Kyle Berry, District Engineering Administrator, District 5
Merrill Zwanka, Materials and Research Engineer, Secretary
Teresa Parker, Program Delivery Team Lead, FHWA

The Committee meets semiannually, in the winter and summer.