Russell R. McMurry, P.E., serves as commissioner for the Georgia Department of Transportation, the state agency responsible for the nation’s 10th largest state transportation system, with an operating budget of over $4 billion and a staff of nearly 3,800. Commissioner McMurry began his career with the department in 1990 as an engineering intern working in construction; he served in a variety of roles prior to being named chief engineer. He was then appointed by Governor Nathan Deal as the department’s planning director before being appointed as commissioner by unanimous vote of the State Transportation Board in 2015.  

McMurry currently serves as secretary/treasurer of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) as well as chair of the Council on Highways and Streets and a member of the Strategic Management Committee; he is a board member of several other national organizations such as the National Academy of the Science, Transportation Research Board, and ITS America in addition to several state organizations; such as a board member for the Atlanta Transit Link Authority (ATL), Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), the State Depository Board and the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund. He is also a member of the College of Engineering & Information Technology (CEIT) Corporate Advisory Committee at Georgia Southern University as well as the University of Georgia College of Engineering Advisory Board.   

McMurry has received numerous accolades and recognitions, including being named Georgia Trend’s 2018 Georgian of the Year, and is consistently included in its list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians. He was also named one of Atlanta’s most powerful leaders in Atlanta Magazine’s “Atlanta 500” and named as one of James Magazine’s Most Influential Georgians. McMurry graduated cum laude from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering technology and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Georgia.