In IBTTA's latest Mary Jane O'Meara Leadership Series webinars, IBTTA President Joi Taylor Dean sat down with New Jersey Department of Transportation commissioner Priya Jain, who reflected on the experiences that shape how she leads.
When Priya Jain was sworn in as the 21st Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation this spring, she brought more than 30 years of private-sector engineering experience and a clear sense of what drives her. "My purpose is to solve problems that can improve people's lives," she told IBTTA 2026 President Joi Taylor Dean during the Mary Jane O'Meara Leadership Webinar Series. "That still motivates me today."
That purpose shapes how she shows up. Early in her tenure, Jain committed to spend time on ride-alongs with engineers and maintenance crews, convinced that the best insight comes from the people closest to the work. Leadership, she says, isn't about having every answer — it's about asking the right questions and giving people the room to bring you both good news and bad.
She's equally deliberate about developing others. Jain encourages emerging professionals to build a personal "board of directors" — mentors and sponsors, often from outside their own field, who will both champion them and tell them the truth. And her advice to anyone early in their career is refreshingly counterintuitive: "Optimize for learning. Don't optimize for the next promotion."
Underpinning it all is a belief in collaboration. Whether coordinating agencies around a major event or modernizing how a nearly 60-year-old department works, Jain keeps the mission — and the people delivering it — at the center.
For transportation leaders navigating aging infrastructure, new technology, and rising expectations, her message is a grounding one: stay curious, stay close to the work, and lead for the long term.