HARRISBURG, PA — Melissa Batula, P.E., joins HDR as a Principal Program Manager. Based in HDR’s Harrisburg-area office, Batula will help lead major highway and transportation programs in the Pennsylvania area and beyond, applying her more than three decades of infrastructure design and engineering experience.

Batula joins HDR from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), where she served as Executive Deputy Secretary working directly for the Secretary. At PennDOT, Batula managed a staff of 11,400 employees and oversaw a $10 billion annual budget.

Batula has led Pennsylvania’s strategic efforts for accelerating program delivery and leveraging the use of alternative funding mechanisms.

“Melissa is an industry leader whose expertise will be invaluable to our clients contemplating the state of their systems over the coming decades,” said HDR Transportation President Tom McLaughlin. “Her strategic vision, proven ability to manage change, and collaborative approach to achieving key initiatives will be a great asset as we deliver the infrastructure of the future.”

Batula regularly shares her experience at industry conferences as a thought leader and transportation infrastructure expert. She is active with the Transportation Research Board, WTS, and various committees of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

“I’m excited to join the HDR team to continue to work on solving communities’ complex transportation and infrastructure challenges,” Batula said. “I’m looking forward to applying my experience with the latest industry methods and solutions, including public-private partnerships, digital delivery, and road user charging, to help clients advance the state of their practices.”