VDOT Leadership

Mary Lynn Tischer

Director of Multimodal Transportation Planning Office

Mary.Tischer@VDOT.Virginia.gov

Mary Lynn Tischer is director ofthe commonwealth’s  MultimodalTransportation Planning Office. The new office was created to facilitateimplementation of VTrans2025, Virginia’s statewide multimodal transportationplan. The plan, adopted by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the VirginiaAviation Board and Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners, is designedas a blueprint for shaping the commonwealth’s future transportation decisions.

Tischer also serves as the Federal Intergovernmental Transportation Liaison for VDOT. She leads the development of initiatives at the federal level regarding the Commonwealth's transportation system. Tischer also currentlyserves as a Special Assistant to the Governor and Secretary for TransportationReauthorization, and will continue in that role during the congressional effortto reauthorize the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century(TEA-21).

She has extensive experience in the field of transportation policy and organization. From 2002 until 2005,  Tischer was a Special Assistant to the Governor and the Secretary of Transportation, working with the Virginia legislative delegation and others to pass federal legislation favorable to the Commonwealth. She also has held administrative posts in the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Arizona Department of Transportation, and Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Tischer served VDOT earlier, from 1989-1997, as Director of the department’s Office of Policy Analysis, Evaluation and Intergovernmental Relations.

Education

She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Maryland, a Master of Arts Degree in Political Science from American University, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Rosemont College.

Organizations

Tischer has served on committees of the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials, including the Task Force on Federal Re-authorization, Standing Committee on Planning, Task Force on Economic Development, and the Standing Committee on Highway Transport. She was a member of the Financing and Economic Evaluation Committee of the International Road Congress and was Chairman of the International Association for Travel Behavior Research.

Interests and Hobbies

Her interests include sailing, bridge, opera and jazz.

Page last modified: Wednesday, February 06, 2008