MTI Distinguished Seminar Series: Morteza Farajian

Morteza Farajian, executive director of the Build America Bureau at the U.S. Department of Transportation, spoke at the University of Maryland (UMD) on Thursday (October 31).

His talk, “Facilitating Investment in U.S. Transportation Infrastructure Through Innovative Financing and Project Delivery Models,” was part of the Distinguished Seminar Series hosted by the Maryland Transportation Institute, a UMD-based hub for interdisciplinary research on transportation issues.

Farajian took up leadership of the Build America Bureau in April 2019. Earlier, he served as acting Deputy Secretary of Transportation and was Director of Public-Private Partnerships at the Virginia Department of Transportation.

He is a UMD alumnus, having earned his PhD degree in 2014 at the Project Management Center for Excellence, part of the civil and environmental engineering department at the A. James Clark School of Engineering. He also holds a master of science degree in project management, also from UMD.

The bureau headed by Farajian spearheads transportation infrastructure development projects across the United States. It serves as the single point of contact and coordination for states, municipalities, and project sponsors looking to utilize federal transportation expertise, apply for federal transportation credit programs, or establish public private partnerships.

In addition to facilitating credit and grant opportunities, the Bureau provides technical assistance and promotes best practices in project planning, financing, delivery, and monitoring.

Published October 11, 2019