ITD Executive Team Biographies

Brian Ness

Idaho Transportation Department
Director - Brian Ness

Brian Ness is a transportation professional with more than 30 years of experience. The Idaho Transportation Board named Mr. Ness director of the department in November 2009. He formally assumed the leadership position January 11, 2010.

During his 30-year career with the Michigan Department of Transportation, he helped guide the strategic planning process, helped the department meets its planning objectives and quality improvement efforts.

He holds a bachelor’s degree of science in engineering and a master’s degree in public administration.

Scott Stokes

Idaho Transportation Department
Chief Deputy- Scott Stokes

L. Scott Stokes, a second-generation Idaho Transportation Department employee and a 15-year veteran of the department, became deputy director Feb. 26, 2007. He joined the department as a staff engineer in the bridge section at Headquarters in 1992. A year later he was promoted to project development engineer for District 1 in Coeur d’Alene, working primarily on U.S. 95 widening projects south of Worley.

He returned to Boise in 1995 to become the state bridge engineer, a position he held for about a year when he was named District 1 Engineer and moved back to Coeur d’Alene. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in civil engineering in 1983 and earned a master’s, also in civil engineering, from BYU the following year. He worked in the private sector for about eight years before joining ITD.

A native of Salmon, Idaho, Stokes has lived in four of the state’s six transportation districts (1, 3, 5, 6). His late father Elden Sr. was a highly respected maintenance foreman in the Salmon area for 40 years.

Paul Steinman accepted the position of Chief Operations Officer for ITD in November 2010 after working as state construction engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation.

Paul has more than 21 years of transportation experience in Florida and Michigan. He earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Michigan State University in 1989 and is a licensed professional engineer in Idaho, Michigan, Florida and North Carolina.

His role at ITD includes responsibility for the Divisions of Planning, Highways and the department's six districts.

Mary Harker

Mary Harker became Chief Human Resource Officer in December 2010. She previously served as Manager of Human Resource Services. Most of her 26-year career in the human resources field has been with the transportation department.

She holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration and a micro-Master's of Business Administration. She currently chairs the Human Resource Sub-committee of the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officers (AASHTO).

Mary is responsible for all program areas for the Division of Human Resources for the department.

Mike Golden

An administrator with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors, Mike Golden serves as ITD's Chief Administrative Officer with responsibilities for Financial Services, Business & Support Management, and Enterprise Technology Services.

Mr. Golden worked for Yellow Freight System 24½ years; his latest position was vice president of taxation. He also worked seven years as chief operating officer and later as chief financial officer for the Missouri Department of Transportation.

He earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a master's in Accounting from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.