Secretary Powell and Deputy Secretaries Take Oath of Office

​Columbia, S.C. (April 9, 2024) - The South Carolina Department of Transportation held a swearing in ceremony for newly confirmed Secretary of Transportation Justin P. Powell and deputy secretaries today in front of the Department's headquarters building.

South Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Blake A. Hewitt administered the oath of office for Secretary Powell and the deputy secretaries:

• Rob Perry, P.E., Deputy Secretary for Engineering

• Karl McCottry, Deputy Secretary for Finance and Administration

• Brent Rewis, P.E., Deputy Secretary for Planning

• Jennifer Necker, Deputy Secretary for Intermodal and Freight Programs

Following the swearing in ceremony, Secretary Powell shared remarks about the Department's continued commitment to making progress on the current 10-year plan and his vision for continuing to improve South Carolina's transportation network well into the future.

Secretary Powell said, "The fourth quarter of the 10-year plan lies ahead of us. We need to commit ourselves to finishing strong and completing the visionary work we started in 2017. The work of building and rebuilding South Carolina's transportation system will not be complete in 2027 when the 10-year plan wraps up. These leaders up here with me today and this team at SCDOT has the vision, the energy and the dedication to the people of this state to take us beyond what is next and into the future."

Pictured (left to right): Deputy Secretary for Finance and Administration Karl McCottry, Deputy Secretary for Intermodal and Freight Programs Jen Necker, Deputy Secretary for Planning Brent Rewis, SCDOT Commissioner Tony K. Cox, Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell, SCDOT Commission Chair Pamela L. Christopher, SCDOT Commissioner Barnwell Fishburne, SCDOT Commission Vice Chair Max K. Metcalf, SCDOT Commissioner Gene Branham Sr., SCDOT Deputy Secretary for Engineering Rob Perry.