Stephanie Dougherty was appointed Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) by Governor Gavin Newsom in December 2024. Dougherty brings more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sector on a variety of legislative and policy issues. Dougherty most recently served as Deputy Secretary of Transportation Safety and Enforcement at the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) since 2016. At CalSTA, she was instrumental in the development of programs and policies that support safety, including the coordination of the Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force and the Autonomous Vehicles Strategic Framework. Stephanie held multiple roles at the Department of Motor Vehicles from 2008 to 2016, including Chief of Enterprise Planning and Performance. Dougherty also worked in a research and policy capacity for several state commissions and previously held project management positions with Blue Shield of California and Deloitte Consulting.
As Director of the OTS, Dougherty serves as the Governor’s Representative for Highway Safety at the federal level, managing a more than $140 million annual budget that supports hundreds of innovative, evidence-based education and enforcement programs and technologies designed to improve road safety. Dougherty’s priorities will be effective and meaningful community engagement, strong collaboration with traffic safety partners on new safety measures and establishing a strong road safety culture that advances the OTS mission of saving lives.
