Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia© 2024 By The Library of Virginia. All Rights Reserved.
Processed by: Paige Neal.
There are no access restrictions
Records of the Virginia Secretary of Transportation, 2018-2021, Accession 53529. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Accession 53529 was transferred by the Secretary of Transportation Jan 7, 2022.
In 1970 the Governor's Management Commission Study recommended the creation of six "Deputy Governors" to assist the Chief Executive in his managerial duties. Compatible functions of government were grouped under these administrative heads, who would serve as the Governors top management team or "secretariats," as they are called now. Governor Linwood Holton's top priority for the 1972 session of the General Assembly was a proposal for a Governor's Cabinet, reorganizing state agencies into six major departments--each headed by a secretary appointed by the governor. Transportation and public safety was one of these six departments. The Office of Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was created on April 8, 1972, by an act passed by the General Assembly. Governor Holton appointed Wayne A. Whitham, a member of the Winchester City Council, as the first Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety. When Whitham took office on July 1, 1972, he was responsible for State Highway Commission, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of State Police, Highway Safety Division, Office of Emergency Services, Department of Military Affairs, Virginia State Crime Commission and the Law Enforcement Officers Training Standards Commission. The Office has undergone a series of administrative reorganizations since. On April 12, 1976, the Legislature established separate secretariats for transportation and for public safety, effective July 1, 1976. On July 1, 1984, the offices were again combined. Most recently, the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was divided into separate secretariats on February 22, 1990. The Secretary of Transportation is a member of the Governor's Cabinet, and is appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The Secretary is responsible to the governor for the Department of Transportation, Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Department of Aviation, Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia Port Authority and the Motor Vehicle Dealers Board.
Shannon Valentine served as Secretary of Transportation during the administration of Governor Ralph Northam. As Secretary, she also serves as Chair of the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB). Valentine previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates, 2006-2009, and as a member of the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board for the Lynchburg District. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia in economics.
The Secretary of Transportation records, 2018-2021, consist of 14 archival boxes and are divided into 8 series. Series have been designated for Correspondence - Assigned State Agencies (I), Correspondence - Constituent (II), Correspondence - Secretary (III), Commonwealth Transportation Board (IV), Governor Decision Requests (V), Subject files (VI), Files of Quintin Elliott, Dep. Sec. of Transportation (VII) and Files of John Lawson, Dep. Sec. of Transportation (VIII). These records document the work of Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentaine during the Northam administration and were created or collected, 2018-2021, though some documents in this collection pre-date this time period.
Correspondence with Assigned State Agencies, 2018-2021, is housed in 2 boxes and is arranged alphabetically by agency name. Includes correspondence with the following agencies: Dept. of Aviation (DOAV), Dept. of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Dept. of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), Dept. of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Port Authority (VPA). Includes both incoming correspondence and copies of outgoing correspondence with state, federal and local agencies and officials; state and federal legislators; and associations. In addition to correspondence, may also include decision briefs and reports. Topics include, but are not limited to: airports, bridge projects, Chesapeake Bay Bridge and tunnels, funding, highway and rail safety, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), passenger rail expansion, Port of Virginia, Transportation Safety Grants, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
Constituent correspondence, 2018-2021, is housed in 1 box and is arranged chronologically. Includes both incoming and outgoing correspondence, as well as drafts of outgoing correspondence. Topics may include, but are not limited to: autonomous vehicles, DMV issues, drainage issues, environmental concerns, express lanes, high speed rail, rail transportation, road construction and maintenance, road safety, tolls, traffic congestion, and tunnels. Series is not complete.
Correspondence of the Secretary, 2018-2021, is housed in 1 box and is arranged chronologically. Includes copies of outgoing correspondence and some incoming correspondence with associations, businesses, federal government (Federal Highway Administration, US Dept. of Transportation), legislators, local government (mayors, boards of supervisors), organizations, and regional transportation commissions. May also include invitations and reports. Topics include, but are not limited to: Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) funds, Elizabeth River Tunnels, funding, Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, legislation, Six Year Improvement Plan (SYIP), Smart Scale, State Environmental Review Process (SERP), Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP), transportation infrastructure, Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund, and the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) records, 2018-2021, are housed in 1 box and are arranged alphabetically. Records include incoming correspondence and a small amount of outgoing correspondence, with contractors, the Governor's Office, localities, regional transportation organizations, legislators, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Also includes meeting records (agendas, briefs, presentations, resolutions) for the 2018 July 17-18 meeting of the Commonwealth Transportation Board; and a CTB Handbook, 2018. Topics include, but are not limited to: Interstate Corridor Improvement Plan, public meetings, Six Year Improvement Plan (SYIP), Smart Scale, tolls, and Transportation Revenue Refunding Bonds.
Governor Decision Requests, 2018-2021, are housed in 4 boxes and are arranged chronologically. This series documents requests sent to the Governor for his approval and may include background information with discussion and summary, as well as tracking sheets, recommendations, comments and signatures. Supplemental information may include correspondence, drafts and reports. Many of the requests are for approval to send letters or to submit reports and studies to the General Assembly, permission to travel on the state plane, or requests for the Governor's signature on correspondence. Topics include, but are not limited to: grant applications, infrastructure, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) bonds, Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, rail transportation, Real ID, Virginia Port Authority, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). These requests are also often referred to as Gold Sheets.
Subject files, 2018-2021, are housed in 3 boxes and are arranged alphabetically. These topical files include correspondence, correspondence with state agencies, financial statements, plans, and reports. Topics covered include, but are not limited to: CARES Act, Elizabeth River Crossings, Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, hiring freeze, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, strategic planning, succession planning, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Files of Quintin Elliott, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, 2018, are housed in 3 boxes and are arranged alphabetically. These files include correspondence, correspondence with state agencies, agendas, briefs, charts, plans, presentations, reports, studies, talking points, and topical files. Topics include, but are not limited to: Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, interstate and highway construction and maintenance, Smart Scale, strategic planning, and succession planning. Quintin Elliot was appointed Deputy Secretary in January 2018 and had previously served Chief Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Dept. of Transportation.
Files of John Lawson, 2019-2021, are housed in 1 box and are arranged alphabetically. These files include meeting notes, presentations, reports and topical files. John Lawson was appointed Deputy Secretary in April 2019 and had previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Virginia Dept. of Transportation since 2010.