One of the new flyover ramps, pictured prior to opening, that connects I-10 to New Orleans’ Armstrong International Airport officially opened on Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo credit: Daniel Gitlin/DOTD)
Gov. Jeff Landry is making leadership changes at the state highway department that will go into effect Monday.
In a statement issued Thursday, the governor’s office said Department of Transportation a Development Secretary Joe Donahue will move from that post to become the agency’s executive counsel. Glenn Ledet Jr. will leave as executive director of the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority to become DOTD’s new secretary.
Also, Eric Dauphine, DOTD’s current Lafayette region administrator, will become a deputy secretary for the department.
“Joe has done an outstanding job in one of the most thankless roles in state government. Louisiana’s roads and infrastructure are in dire need of reform, and Joe worked every day to move DOTD forward despite the challenges,” Landry said in the statement.
Ledet departs the CPRA after a year and a half as its leader and previously working as administrator of its operations division. The authority has state-level oversight of major coastal infrastructure projects in Louisiana. The governor credited Ledet with CPRA’s implementation of the state’s $50 billion Coastal Master Plan.
The governor’s office shared no information on plans for Ledet’s replacement at CPRA.
The incoming DOTD secretary’s background includes 13 years in civil and environmental engineering, including management positions with private companies that have worked as contractors for the state transportation department. Ledet holds an environmental engineering degree from LSU and is licensed as a civil engineer in multiple Gulf Coast states.
“I am honored and grateful to Governor Jeff Landry for the trust he has placed in me to lead DOTD,” Ledet said in a statement. “I look forward to working alongside the agency’s dedicated team and partners throughout the state to strengthen Louisiana’s transportation network. Together, we will focus on delivering efficient and safe infrastructure that meets the needs of Louisiana’s residents, communities, and businesses both now and in the future.”
Donahue has worked with Landry since the governor held the attorney general’s post. In addition to his time at DOTD, Donahue has also been a staff lawyer with the state Department of Environmental Quality.
His exit comes as state lawmakers have approved a package of Landry-backed bills that call for greater efficiency and accountability at DOTD, while also giving the governor more say-so on state highway spending. The changes will include a new deputy secretary of transformation. Landry’s office has not clarified whether Dauphine is filling this position or an existing deputy secretary’s position.
Donahue is the third member of Landry’s cabinet to move out of their role since the governor took office in January 2024, and the first to stay within state government.
Madison Sheahan left her job as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in March to become deputy director for U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The move reunited her with Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem, for whom Sheahan worked when Noem was governor of South Dakota.
Last month, Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto resigned as DEQ secretary to take a job with a Washington, D.C. law firm. Though Landry remained consistent in his support for her, Giacometto’s tenure was marked with strife within the department and several departures from high-ranking employees. A workplace survey from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor revealed pervasive low morale during her time in charge.