In October 2023, Lamar Sylvester became chief engineer of the N.C. Department of Transportation. As chief engineer, he manages and directs the engineering and program activities of NCDOT’s 14 highway divisions, Transportation Mobility and Safety Division, the Central Units, and the Technical Services Division.
Sylvester is a registered professional engineer and began his NCDOT career in June 1995 as a Transportation Engineering Associate. He served as an assistant resident and resident engineer in Division 5. He had a brief stint working for the City of Raleigh before returning to NCDOT as an airport project manager for the Division of Aviation.
He returned to the Division of Highways in 2005 and never left. He has held positions as estimates and claims engineer in the Central Construction Unit, state roadway construction engineer and state construction engineer before joining the Chief Engineer’s Office in 2020 and serving in both the director of field support and deputy chief engineer roles.
Sylvester graduated from N.C. State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.