North Carolina Department of Transportation will be under new leadership next month.
Secretary Joey Hopkins is retiring from the state Oct. 1, and Navy veteran and current NCDOT Deputy Secretary and General Counsel Daniel Johnson will take over the role, the governor’s office announced Friday.
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Johnson has been in his existing position since 2019. Previously, he worked in private practice, was an assistant district attorney in Wake County, and served as a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy. Johnson is a Navy and Marine Corps Medal recipient, which is the highest noncombat decoration awarded for heroism, according to the governor’s office.
“We have much work ahead to strengthen our infrastructure in western North Carolina, as well as to lead our entire state into the future of transportation. With his record of public service, leadership, and expertise in transportation, Daniel Johnson is the right person for the job. I welcome him to the role and look forward to working together to build a safer, stronger, and better-connected North Carolina,” Stein said in a statement.
Johnson is a native of Hickory and earned undergraduate and law degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Secretary Hopkins leaves a legacy of leadership that I can only hope to continue,” Johnson said. “We must continue the task of building a transportation system that meets the needs of our growing state, and I am eager to get to work.”
Hopkins spent decades in public service. He acted as NCDOT’s chief operating officer before being appointed Secretary of Transportation in October 2023.
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“It has been an honor to serve as Secretary of Transportation, and I am grateful to all the North Carolinians who put their trust in our team,” Hopkins said. “Daniel Johnson has been a valuable advisor to me, and I am proud to pass the torch to him.”
Hopkins helped develop the North Carolina’s Strategic Prioritization Process.
“Secretary Hopkins has served at the Department of Transportation for more than 30 years and was planning for his retirement until Hurricane Helene struck our state,” Stein explained. “I asked him to delay his retirement to help steer us through the early phases of recovery and rebuilding. I am so grateful that he did, and we have reopened 97% of our state-maintained roads. He is a true public servant, beloved across the state and across the aisle, and I wish him a joyful retirement with his family.”
