hen Carlos Braceras
first stumbled upon a
sign in 1986 advertising
summer internships at
the Utah Department of
Just a few years earlier, Carlos had earned
a degree in Geology from the University
of Vermont before ultimately deciding to
pursue a degree in Civil Engineering from
the University of Utah. It was there in the
engineering building that Carlos learned
of this internship and set his sights on
UDOT—the department he would build
his career in for the next 32 years.
During these years with UDOT, Carlos
served as Deputy Director, Director
of UDOT's Region Three Office, Chief
Geotechnical Engineer, Chief Value
Engineer and Roadway Design Engineer.
He was named the "1998 State of Utah
Governor's Manager of the Year" and was
the 1998 recipient of the "UDOT Leader of
the Year" Award. Today, Carlos is UDOT’s
Executive Director. In this role, he is
responsible for over 1,600 employees and
the design, construction and maintenance
of Utah's 6,000-mile system of roads and
highways.
A major highlight to Carlos’ professional
career recently took place on September
2018, when he was elected President of the
American Association of State and Highway
Transportation Officials (AASHTO). With
years of dedication as an AASHTO member
and leader, this position is certainly well-deserved. As an entire association looks to
Carlos for guidance, we are excited to see
what he has in store for the future of the
transportation industry.
BY ETHEL NAVALES
C ARLOS
BR ACER AS
AN INTERVIEW WITH AASHTO PRESIDENT
W
