Former Louisiana DOTD chief engineer brings extensive transportation leadership and project delivery experience
BATON ROUGE, La. (Sept. 2, 2026) – Chad Winchester, PE, has joined HNTB as a practice consultant, bringing more than three decades of transportation engineering and agency leadership experience to the firm. He will provide strategic and technical guidance for complex transportation programs and projects, helping clients navigate critical decisions and improve project delivery.
Winchester most recently served as chief engineer for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, where he led the Office of Engineering and oversaw the engineering standards, policies and procedures governing the delivery, construction and preservation of the state’s transportation infrastructure.
“Chad is a highly respected transportation leader who understands the challenges agencies face because he has spent his career addressing them,” said Scott Haywood, HNTB Central Division president and senior vice president. “His ability to connect engineering policy, program strategy and project delivery will provide immediate value as we help clients advance their most important infrastructure priorities.”
During his career with Louisiana DOTD, Winchester held a series of senior leadership positions, including deputy chief engineer, Project Development Division chief and road design administrator. He led multidisciplinary organizations, shaped statewide engineering policy and guided programs and projects from environmental review and preconstruction through design and construction. His experience spans design-bid-build, design-build, construction manager at risk and public-private partnership delivery.
Winchester earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Louisiana State University and is a licensed professional engineer in Louisiana. He also has served on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Committee on Design and Committee on Highways and Streets.