Georgia Department of Transportation Board Chair Ann R. Purcell of Effingham County was recently honored as one of Engineering Georgia magazine’s “100 Influential Women to Know” -- women of character, integrity and purpose. The magazine is known as the official statewide magazine of Georgia’s engineering industry.
“Being recognized in the 100 Influential Women to Know for the second year in a row is truly an honor,” Purcell said. “Women are certainly becoming more present in the fields of engineering, architecture and construction, and to be recognized in this capacity among other female leaders at Georgia DOT and across the state is truly an honor.”
Purcell represents 17 counties in the 1st Congressional District in southeast Georgia, which includes the ports of Savannah and Brunswick, the entire Georgia coast as well as several inland counties and counties along the Florida State Line to Valdosta. Purcell was elected to the State Transportation board in 2013 and served as vice chair before being elected chair in August 2018. She is a community and civic leader who served 18 years in the Georgia House of Representatives where she chaired the Public Safety and Homeland Security committees, and served on numerous other committees. She is a tireless advocate for her district and her efforts have been recognized both locally and statewide. She is a graduate of Georgia Southern College.
Nearly 10 percent of the listing includes women who work for or with Georgia DOT on a daily basis, including State Transportation Board members representing various parts of the state, Georgia DOT’s Chief Engineer, Administrator for the Program Delivery Office, Director of Intermodal and Director of Engineering.
The women of Georgia DOT are among the most represented in the magazine’s second annual listinghttps://bit.ly/2tsbCkx, Engineering Georgia provided the department’s Chief Engineer Meg Pirkle with the honor of being on the cover and being the subject of their feature story.
Others recognized who are affiliated with Georgia DOT include:
- Stacey Key, State Transportation Board, Congressional District 5
- Emily Dunn, State Transportation Board, Congressional District 9
- Dana Lemon, State Transportation Board, Congressional District 13
- Meg Pirkle, P.E., Georgia DOT Chief Engineer
- Kimberly Nesbitt, Administrator – Program Delivery Office
- Hiral Patel, P.E., Director of Engineering
- Carol Comer, Division Director – Intermodal
In the same issue, Engineering Georgia announced its inaugural list of the Top 50 Women in the Know, a list that consists of women who serve clients in their communities, across the country and around the world and are quickly becoming innovators, influencers and experts in their fields. Two additional Georgia DOT employees were named to this list: Natalie Dale, media and government relations liaison and Marlo Clowers, deputy program delivery engineer.
Georgia DOT and its staff of nearly 4,000 employees are responsible for managing a budget of $3.70 billion, maintaining 48,675 lane miles statewide and delivering a sustainable and efficient transportation system that serves all of Georgia. Entrusted with public resources, the department is responsible for not only what is done and the results achieved, but also for sharing those results. Those tasks have never been more clearly defined than by those including these recognized women and others who are driving and ultimately delivering those results.
