Rachel Carpenter, Acting Deputy Secretary, Transportation Safety and Enforcement

Rachel A. Carpenter was appointed Acting Deputy Secretary for Safety and Enforcement at the California State Transportation Agency in May 2025. She previously served as Caltrans’ first-ever Chief Safety Officer where she ushered in a new era of road safety for the Department grounded in the Safe System Approach. Rachel is recognized for standing up innovative programs that enhance safety across all transportation modes, which is work that earned national acclaim and contributed to Caltrans receiving the National Roadway Safety Award in both 2021 and 2023. Her leadership was instrumental in the development of CalSTA’s Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force, a collaborative effort to identify strategies for eliminating deaths and serious injuries in California. She also served on the U.S. Safe System Consortium which helped infuse the Safe System Approach into the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. She is a past member of the Transportation Research Board's Committee on Bicycle Transportation and an active member of the Committees on Transportation Safety Management and Data for Decision Making. Rachel holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Civil Engineering (and a minor in music) and is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer in California.