In October 2023, Chris Peoples became chief operating officer for the N.C. Department of Transportation. As chief operating officer, he directs and manages the Division of Highways, Ferry Division, Aviation Division, Rail Division, the Integrated Mobility Division, Division of Planning & Programming, Human Resources and the Communications Office.
Peoples is a registered professional engineer and has worked at NCDOT for more than 28 years in several field engineering positions, including state materials engineer and director of field support. He became deputy chief engineer in 2019. In June 2022, he started his previously held role—chief engineer—directing the engineering and program activities of NCDOT’s 14 highway divisions, Transportation Mobility and Safety Division, the Central Units and the Technical Services Division.
Peoples is a 1993 graduate of N.C. State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. He has served as chair of AASHTO’s National Transportation Product Evaluation Program, or NTPEP.
He lives with his wife, Robin, and their two children in Raleigh.