Biography

Longtime transportation executive Gary Ridley was named Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in August, 2001.

Ridley’s journey up through the ranks provided him with first-hand insights into the whole spectrum of department operations.

His ODOT service dates back to 1965, when he joined the department as an equipment operator. He moved up to maintenance superintendent at Kingfisher in 1970 and traffic superintendent at Perry in 1979.

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

During the Webbers Falls bridge disaster and reconstruction in the summer of 2002, He steered ODOT through the difficult and unprecedented time with innovation and flexibility.

Ridley is a native of Chicago and a registered professional engineer.

He and his wife, Eula, live in Yukonand have two children, Daphne and Joe.