Jeff Marootian, the director of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), has been named as the special assistant to President-elect Joe Biden for his administration’s Climate and Science Agency Personnel, which is part of the Presidential Personnel Office.
Marootian has been serving as the head of DDOT under Mayor Muriel Bowser since 2017. He previously served in President Barack Obama’s administration, working at the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) as the White House liaison, assistant secretary for administration and chief sustainability officer.
The transition team for Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris made the announcement in a press release on Thursday, January 14.
Prior to his job at USDOT, the New Jersey native was the director of LGBTQ Outreach at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
The politician, who attended George Washington University, is a longtime resident of the District of Columbia.
Marootian is currently part of the US Department of Transportation Agency Review Team for the Biden- Harris Transition, for which he was named in November 2020 as one of the 18 members.
With respect to Marootian’s appointment, Mayor Bowser said he “has been a strong and passionate leader who we know will help our country build back better in his new role.”
“During his time at the District Department of Transportation he has worked tirelessly to make our roads and sidewalks safer and more efficient, and to build a transportation network that not only meets our needs today but looks ahead to the future,” Bowser said.
The mayor added that her government will announce Marootian’s replacement for DDOT soon.
