Wheeler was first tapped to lead the massive and diverse department’s foray into the generative AI space in May 2025, just a year after Caltrans was selected as one of four departments piloting real-world use cases for the technology.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the time I had serving as Caltrans’ first chief data and AI officer. Laying the foundational elements for a data and AI program (building the strategy, the structure and the momentum) was some of the most exciting work of my career,” Wheeler told Industry Insider — California in an email. “What comes next will look different, and that’s exactly how it should be. AI will evolve, the needs will shift and the work will grow stronger because of it. I have no doubt that in the years ahead, Caltrans will continue to advance this vision in ways that make the entire transportation community better.”
The two use cases Caltrans selected to test the capabilities of GenAI focused on improving roadway safety for vulnerable users — namely, pedestrians and cyclists — and traffic management and addressing congestion.
“I am grateful for the leadership and vision demonstrated by Marcie Kahbody, the current and former Caltrans directors Dina El‑Tawansy and Tony Tavares and Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin, whose early support in establishing this leadership role and advancing two large-scale proof‑of‑concept initiatives made our progress possible,” she added.
It wasn’t just Wheeler’s understanding of the technology that made her an ideal leader for this evolving work, California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) Deputy Secretary and Caltrans CIO Marcie Kahbody said; it was also her deep bench of strong relationships throughout the organization.
“There were several things about her, but she was a great communicator. Second, she knew everybody in Caltrans; she knew the executives, she had a lot of friends. And I think creating that relationship is the key. Creating the relationship and explaining the value of GenAI is the key. Otherwise, everybody is going to push back, and it would be difficult to deploy in a department this large,” Kahbody said.
“She was very instrumental to moving the needle forward and progressing in GenAI and getting buy-in and creating awareness and creating training and pushing the executive board to decide to lean into these use cases,” she added.
The department’s next CDAO has been selected from the private sector, Kahbody told Industry Insider — California, but the new executive’s name is being kept under wraps until the nearly two dozen other candidates are notified.
