Preston Elliott, AICP, was named the Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Planning for the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in April 2020. In his role, he oversees the Department’s planning and multimodal functions, including supporting communities in the delivery of Local Programs projects. Preston has over 25 years of community and transportation planning experience within Tennessee and the Southeast. Prior to rejoining TDOT in 2020, Preston spent 16 years in the private sector providing professional planning services to communities large and small. In addition to his DOT and private consulting experience, he has worked for three metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and served 12 years on a local transit authority board. Preston is a certified planner and has experience across all modes of transportation, including walking, biking, transit, vehicular planning, freight movement, rail, and shared mobility.