Gary Ridley (transport director)

Gary Ridley
Ridley speaking at the opening ceremonies for the new Crosstown Expressway in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation
Incumbent
Assumed office April 10, 2009
Governor	Brad Henry Mary Fallin
Preceded by	Phil Tomlinson
Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
In office August, 2001 – March 31, 2013
Governor	Frank Keating Brad Henry Mary Fallin
Preceded by	Herschal Crow
Succeeded by	Mike Patterson
Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
In office November 1, 2009 – March 31, 2013
Governor	Brad Henry Mary Fallin
Preceded by	Phil Tomlinson
Succeeded by	Tim Stewart
Personal details
Born	1945 Chicago, Illinois
Residence	Yukon, Oklahoma
Occupation	Engineer

Gary Ridley, PE, (born 1945) is an American engineer from the state of Oklahoma who is the current Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation, having served since he was appointed by Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry in 2009. In addition to his service as Transportation Secretary, Ridley also served concurrently as both the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2001–2013) and the Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (2009–2013).

Ridley joined the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in 1965, when he started as an equipment operator. He moved up to maintenance superintendent at Kingfisher, Oklahoma in 1970 and traffic superintendent at Perry, Oklahoma in 1979. In 1983 he became field maintenance engineer at Perry, then advanced to Division Five Maintenance Engineer at Clinton, Oklahoma in 1986. He became Division Engineer at Clinton in 1995.

He 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. 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.

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 in 1999 under Governor Frank Keating.