The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s governing board on Tuesday appointed a new executive director following the abrupt resignation of its prior leader.
The board promoted the agency’s deputy director Joe Echelle. It set his salary at $240,000 a year.
Echelle said his appointment capped off the “end of a strange two weeks” for him and his staff.
It began when the Attorney General’s Office notified transportation officials that it planned to issue an opinion that prohibited Tim Gatz from holding three transportation leadership posts at the same time.
In response, Gatz resigned as the head of the Turnpike Authority and stepped down as Gov. Kevin Stitt’s transportation secretary. Stitt reappointed him to his current role as executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
That left the Turnpike Authority without an executive director.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is now paying Gatz’s $245,000 annual salary. Previously, it had split the salary with the OTA, said an ODOT spokesperson.
Echelle said they received a little bit of pre-notice from the Attorney General’s Office about the opinion, which allowed both transportation agencies time to ensure continuity of operations.
He said it’s always been a career goal to be a director at either state agency, but he never expected it to happen like this.
“Thank you again for the opportunity,” Echelle said. “I will not let you down.”
Board member John Jones said former director Tim Gatz was a “wonderful and successful leader” throughout his approximately eight year tenure.
“Without a doubt, he will be missed,” Jones said. “But OTA has always been bigger than any one person.”
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is responsible for maintaining 630 miles of turnpikes throughout Oklahoma, and Echelle will oversee the 15-year, $5 billion ACCESS turnpike expansion project.
Echelle is a registered professional engineer and began his career with Oklahoma Department of Transportation in 2001. He began working for the Turnpike Authority in 2016 as its director of construction. In that role, he managed the annual construction projects as well as the $1.2 billion Driving Forward Turnpike Improvement Program.
He’s been deputy director since July 2021.
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