The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has appointed two new members to its Special Committee on Research and Innovation.

The first new member is Carolyn Morehouse, chief engineer and division director for the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities.

A 15-year member of the Alaska DOT&PF, Morehouse helped develop the state’s first Transportation Asset Management Plan and championed its first State Transportation Innovation Charter or STIC.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in civil and environmental engineering from Clarkson University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alaska Southeast.

The second new member of AASHTO’s R&I committee is Dara Wheeler, chief of research, innovation and system information for the California Department of Transportation.

A 21-year veteran of Caltrans, Wheeler manages a staff of 150 engineers, planners, environmental researchers, and administrative personnel with an annual budget of nearly $70 million.

Her division’s role within Caltrans is to meet the agency’s research needs to face the new challenges and opportunities in the transportation arena.

Wheeler is a graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in political science.

The R&I committee, along with AASHTO’s Research Advisory Committee, act as the organization’s “driving force” to help improve the nation’s mobility of people and goods. Both support AASHTO and the transportation industry as a whole by delivering strategic, high-quality research results while addressing development, technology transfer, and implementation.