WSP has tapped Shawn Wilson as the national agency coordination leader for transportation and infrastructure, the Montreal-based engineering and design giant announced on Feb. 7.
Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Wilson will expand WSP’s network within the transportation and infrastructure industry, identify strategic growth opportunities and support communication efforts with federal and state governments. Wilson was secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development from 2016 to 2023.
“I’ve long admired Shawn’s leadership in the transportation industry,” said Sofia Berger, U.S. transportation and infrastructure national business line executive at WSP. “His legacy at LaDOTD is impressive, with a track record of innovative thinking and commitment to project delivery across multiple administrations.”
WSP is focused on transportation and infrastructure projects, in particular water, clean energy, decarbonization and resilience work, CEO Alexandre L’Heureux said in a recent earnings call.
As head of the LaDODT, Wilson oversaw more than $5.2 billion in construction projects and established the state’s Office of Innovative Procurement, advancing innovative finance and accelerating design-build. He developed and implemented the LaDODT’s first two construction manager at risk projects and successfully delivered the state’s first infrastructure public-private partnership.
Wilson also served as then-Gov. John Bel Edwards’ policy leader. He was elected as the first African American president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials for 2021-22, and served on the executive committee as chairman for the Transportation Research Board.
Wilson received his bachelor's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. He also earned a master’s degree in public administration and a doctoral degree in public policy from the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy at Southern University in Baton Rouge.
