N.C. Gov. Cooper appoints Trogdon transportation secretary

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has named Jim Trogdon the state's next secretary of transportation.

An engineer, Trogdon has decades of leadership experience in state government and the military. He retired from his post as chief operating officer of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in 2013. He also served as director of strategic transportation planning for the North Carolina General Assembly, according to a state press release.

Most recently, Trogdon served as national transportation director at the SAS Institute, an analytics software developer in Cary, N.C.

"Jim Trogdon knows North Carolina's transportation successes and challenges better than anyone, and he will bring technical know-how and smart solutions to the job," Cooper said. "Our state's growing population and business climate need good roads and smart mass transit, and he will lead the way."

Also yesterday, Cooper installed NCDOT Chief Engineer Mike Holder as the department's interim secretary until the process of appointing cabinet secretaries in Cooper's administration is completed.

A former North Carolina attorney general, Cooper was sworn in as governor on Monday. He beat incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory in the Nov. 8 election. After a legal challenge over the close election results, McCrory conceded to Cooper last month.