Blair Thompson last week was announced as chief of Caltrans’ newly created Director’s Office of Innovation, Risk and Strategic Management.
As the first to serve in the position, Thompson will support Caltrans in improving performance and oversee implementation of the department’s 2015-202 Strategic Management Plan. He will also manage Caltrans' efforts in the Federal Highway Administration’s State Transportation Innovation Council and other special projects, such as Open Data.
Thompson has worked for the California Department of Motor Vehicles since 1998 in project management. In 2008, he began managing teams responsible for DMV’s IT planning and enterprise governance, and since February 2016, he has served as the department’s acting enterprise planning and performance branch chief. He is credited with supporting the DMV on myriad tasks and projects, including assisting the department in establishing its Risk Management Program.
"Blair Thompson will be a valuable addition to the Caltrans executive team,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty in the announcement. “He will help Caltrans accomplish its strategic goals by using data and innovation to improve the Department’s performance."
Caltrans is a major proponent of Lean Six Sigma, a program in which participants use analytical and statistical tools to help identify and address inefficiencies, to complete projects streamlining business processes within state government.
When the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development and Government Operations Agency began piloting the approach in 2014, Caltrans took part in the project by studying how to reduce the amount of time it takes to initiate a new technology project. As chief of innovation, risk and strategic management, Thompson will manage the department’s future Lean Six Sigma efforts.
