Gov. Wolf appoints Yassmin Gramian to replace outgoing PennDOT secretary

As Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation secretary, Leslie Richards, prepares to take over as general manager of SEPTA in January 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf has announced PennDOT executive deputy secretary Yassmin Gramian as her replacement, effective Dec. 6. 

“Yassmin Gramian has proven herself a capable leader and knowledgeable infrastructure planner in her more than 30 years of experience as a project engineer,” Wolf said in a press release. “Her experience working in PennDOT will allow for a seamless transition of leadership over a department that affects the daily life of millions of Pennsylvanians.”

Gramian is an engineer who has spent more than three decades in the transportation and infrastructure industry, working on highways, bridges, and tolling projects. She has played a part in such local projects as the Roosevelt Boulevard multi-modal corridor, the Center City Concourse Improvement Program, Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, and the PATCO Ben Franklin Bridge Track Rehabilitation. 

Her appointment is the latest domino to fall since SEPTA’s current general manager, Jeffrey Knueppel, announced his retirement in August. Richards was named as a top candidate to replace him, and the transportation authority’s board approved her for a three-year contract during its November board meeting.