Roberto Canales - Deputy Secretary for Transit

Direct Reports:

• William H. Williams, Jr., Director, Aviation Division
• Tom Norman, Director, Bicycle and Pedestrian Division
• Jack Cahoon, Director, Ferry Division
• Miriam Perry, Director, Public Transportation
• Patrick B. Simmons, Director, Rail Division

Roberto Canales, P.E. is the Deputy Secretary for Transit for the North Carolina Department of Transportation and is responsible for the department’s five multimodal divisions: Aviation, Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, Ferry, Public Transportation and Rail. He also serves as the central point of contact for transportation initiatives involving the Global TransPark, North Carolina Railroad and the Ports Authority.

Canales received his bachelor of science in civil engineering from North Carolina State University and is a registered Professional Engineer with the State of North Carolina.

He joined NCDOT in 1984 and has held a variety of positions in the department ‘s Division of Highways in Preconstruction and Operations, specifically addressing highway safety and highway efficiency initiatives. He has led NCDOT’s initiative in the creation of Intelligent Transportation Systems and served as branch manager of Construction and Materials prior to creating and leading the enhanced functions of the Contractual Services Unit that addressed the needs of underutilized businesses.

Canales recently took on the role of guiding the department’s transformation efforts, leading a team of professionals tasked with evaluating the department’s functions, designing new processes aimed at improving program efficiencies and implementing best practices with the overall goal to improve how the department meets the needs of North Carolina.