Gary Milo Ridley, PE (September 29, 1945 – December 21, 2022) was an American engineer and

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

from the state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

most notable for concurrently serving as the state's Secretary of Transportation, Director of the Department of Transportation, and the Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority between 2009 and 2013. He served as

Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation The Oklahoma secretary of transportation is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The secretary is appointed by the governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the governor. The secretary serves as the ch ...

between 2009 and 2017, after being appointed by Governor of Oklahoma

Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who was the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002. Henry won re-election for a second term ...

in 2009 and then retained by Governor Mary Fallin in 2011. In addition, Ridley also served concurrently as both the Director of the

Oklahoma Department of Transportation The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is an government agency, agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for the construction and maintenance of the state's transportation infrastructure. Under the leadership of the Oklahoma Sec ...

(2001–2013) and the Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (2009–2013). He served a total of 48 years working for the state of

Early life and education

Ridley was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a registered professional engineer.

Career

Department of Transportation

Ridley joined the

in 1965, when he started as an equipment operator. He was promoted to a maintenance superintendent position in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, in 1970 and an then became a traffic superintendent in

Perry, Oklahoma Perry is a city in, and county seat of, Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,126, a 2.0 percent decrease from the figure of 5,230 in 2000. The city is home of Ditch Witch construction equipment. ...

, in 1979. In 1983 he became field maintenance engineer at Perry, then advanced to Division Five Maintenance Engineer at

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...

, Oklahoma in 1986. He became Division Engineer at Clinton in 1995. Ridley left ODOT in 1997 to become executive director of the Oklahoma Asphalt Paving Association. He returned to the department in January 2001 as Assistant Director for Operations after being appointed by Frank Keating. In August 2009, Ridley was appointed by the Oklahoma Transportation Commission as the Director of the Transportation Department. As Director, Ridley was responsible for managing the Department through the crisis caused by the I-40 bridge disaster, and the reconstruction in the summer of 2002. Ridley retired from his post as Director of the Transportation Department on March 31, 2013, after serving 12 years in that post and 44 years with the department overall.

Turnpike Authority

In October, 2009, former Transportation Secretary Phil Tomlinson retired as Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority effective November 1, 2009. The Authority then appointed Secretary Ridley to succeed Tomlinson as Director. With his appointment as Turnpike Director, Ridley is the first person to serve concurrently as Transportation Secretary, Transportation Department Director and Turnpike Authority Director since

Neal A. McCaleb Neal A. "Chief" McCaleb (born 1935) is an American civil engineer and Republican politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Chickasaw Nation, McCaleb served in several positions in the Oklahoma state government and then as the Assistant Secret ...

in 1999 under Governor Frank Keating. Ridley retired as Director of OTA the same day that he retired from ODOT, March 31, 2013.

Secretary of Transportation

Henry Administration

Governor of Oklahoma

appointed Ridley as his second Secretary of Transportation following the resignation of

Phil Tomlinson Phil Tomlinson was an American politician from the state of Oklahoma who served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation from 2003 to 2009. Tomlinson served as Transportation Secretary under Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry. In addition to serv ...

in 2009. As Transportation Secretary, Ridley has supervision over all state transportation initiatives and the entities charged with implementing them, including the

, the Oklahoma Transportation Authority, the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority and all Port Authorities within the state. During the Henry administration, Ridley served as Transportation Secretary concurrently with his position as Transportation Department Director, which gave him direct control over that department.

Fallin Administration

On November 29, 2010, Governor-elect Mary Fallin announced that she would retain Ridley as Secretary of Transportation in her Administration. Fallin also retained Ridley as the Director of both the Department of Transportation and the Turnpike Authority.Governor-elect Fallin will retain Gary Ridley as Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Director
, Office of Governor-elect Mary Fallin, 11-29-10

Personal life

He and his wife, Eula, had two children, Daphne and Joe.

Death

Ridley died on December 21, 2022, in Oklahoma City, at the age of 77.Gary Milo Ridley
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridley, Gary 1945 births 2022 deaths Politicians from Chicago State cabinet secretaries of Oklahoma People from Yukon, Oklahoma 20th-century American engineers 21st-century American engineers 21st-century American politicians Engineers from Illinois Engineers from Oklahoma