Raquelle Lewis is the supervising Public Information Officer for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), serving as the chief spokesperson and manager of communications in the Houston area. TxDOT-Houston District, the state’s largest of 25 districts, is comprised of six counties, including Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery and Waller Counties. The District, which currently has 200+ active construction projects totaling more than $5 billion in contracts, is responsible for the development, design, construction and maintenance of the state highway system. As the principal spokesperson, Lewis oversees development and dissemination of information to help Texans understand and use department services, and she is responsible for providing information to the public and media regarding highway conditions specific to daily commutes and during emergency situations.
Lewis was appointed to serve as a Special Advisor to the Executive Administration during the 84th Legislative Session, for which Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared transportation funding one of his and lawmakers’ top priorities for the 2015 session. In this capacity, she worked closely with the department’s administration to facilitate meetings and activities pertaining to the legislative priorities for TxDOT and the Texas Transportation Commission.
Lewis has more than twenty years of experience in the transportation industry, specializing in public affairs, consensus building, media relations and transportation planning. Prior to TxDOT, Lewis worked in the private sector as a project manager and professional associate with one of Engineering News Record’s (ENR) Top 10 consulting firms in the nation. Her work has been instrumental in the development and delivery of numerous projects in South/Central Texas, including many critical infrastructure projects in the Houston area, namely the $2.8 billion reconstruction of I-10 Katy Freeway, METRO’s premier light rail line along Main Street and the Southeast Corridor line, the extension of 50+ miles of SH 99/Grand Parkway and the ongoing reconstruction of US 290.
Lewis has received numerous professional accolades. She was honored as the 2013 Woman of the Year by the Houston Chapter of Women in Transportation, recognized by former Texas Governor Rick Perry with an Honorable Mention after being nominated by TxDOT to receive the 2012 Outstanding Women in Texas Government Award and she received the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) 2011 Public Relations Professional of the Year Award. Additionally, she is a graduate of Leadership Texas and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Lewis is a proud alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin and did graduate studies at Texas Southern University. Lewis and her husband, Arnold, have two adult children and a growing 8-year old son miraculously overcoming cerebral palsy.
Raquelle Lewis
Manager of Communications/Public Information
TxDOT – Houston District
7600 Washington, Houston, TX 77007
713-802-5076
Raquelle.lewis@txdot.gov
www.txdot.gov
