Chris Schmidt

Background

About Chris Schmidt

I am retiring from Caltrans at the end of 2024. After 25 wonderful years, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the public and delivering many of the innovative transportation projects. I will be refocusing to pass on my knowledge and volunteering. Looking forward to staying connected to the transportation community especially the many wonderful colleagues I have had the pleasure of working with. I started with Caltrans in and was most recently the Deputy District Director for Right of Way at District 11 in San Diego. My team was responsible for securing the right of way needed for new projects, coordinating utility relocations, selling excess land, and managing various assets. I focused extensively on delivering middle-mile broadband along the state highway system, using right of way for sustainable energy projects including solar and electric vehicle charging; and opportunities for affordable housing. In 22/23, I was on-loan to SANDAG as the Digital Equity Manager overseeing the implementation of the Regional Digital Equity Strategy & Action Plan which includes bringing high-speed affordable broadband internet to all San Diegans with special emphasis on addressing existing inequity. In 2019, I served as the Caltrans SB743 Program Manager working to implement vehicle miles traveled (VMT) analysis into CEQA practices. Until April 2019, I served as the Division Chief of Transportation Planning in Sacramento during which time the one hundred staff division adopted a Strategic Direction, kicked-off the updates to the California Transportation Plan 2050 and Freight Mobility Plan 2020, completed District Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments, and initiated the development of District Bicycle and Pedestrian Plans. During that same period, I also served as the Caltrans Broadband Coordinator addressing permitting challenges with industry, building relationships with broadband stakeholders, collaborating with the State’s Broadband Council and the California Public Utilities Commission as a precursor to the passage of SB156 leading to the investment of over $6 billion in an open access middle mile broadband network and last mile connections under the State’s “Broadband for All” programs. I hold a Master of Planning degree from the University of Virginia, a Master of Arts in Public Health from Ball State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois. Credentialed by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) since 1998.