Hastings to head DelDOT for Meyer Administration

Gov.-elect Matt Meyer announced Dec. 17, that he intends to nominate Shanté Hastings as secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation.

"As a 25-year veteran of the Delaware Department of Transportation, Shanté knows how to keep people and goods moving safely across Delaware," Meyer said in a press release. "Her institutional knowledge and expertise will be essential as we invest in Delaware's infrastructure and continue building bikeable and walkable communities."

The news comes on the heels of Gov. John Carney’s Dec. 12 announcement that Hastings would replace DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeski when she steps down Dec. 21. Hastings will serve as acting secretary until her Senate confirmation.

As deputy secretary and chief engineer for DelDOT, Hastings implements the department’s $600 million annual Capital Transportation Program and supports the secretary with agency operations. She also serves as the department’s liaison with the Federal Highway Administration; chairs the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Innovation Management Committee and the AASHTO Committee on Design, and she vice chairs the AASHTO Committee on Transportation System Operations.

Hastings has worked for DelDOT since graduating from the University of Delaware in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. She has served as the chief engineer for the department since 2019, and as deputy secretary since January 2021.

In 2013, she received the Young Engineer of the Year Award from the Delaware Engineering Society in recognition of her work in the field of engineering and community service. In 2024, she was named Government Engineer of the Year by the Delaware Engineering Society. She currently serves on the boards for Leadership Delaware, the Delaware State Fair, the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation and Sussex Academy Charter School. In May 2024, she was nominated and confirmed to the University of Delaware board of trustees.