Employees interested in joining the commissioner’s support team can do so by applying for the vacant executive assistant position, which will be posted on Thursday, July 30. The position was last held by Jill Harrington, who recently left Mn/DOT to pursue an opportunity in the private sector.

“This team is here to support me in effectively serving you and the citizens of Minnesota,” Commissioner Tom Sorel said. “The executive assistant position is essential to our success.”

The purpose of the executive assistant, which is by law an unclassified position, is to provide a full range of executive administrative support to the commissioner.

The executive assistant is responsible for:

• Managing the commissioner’s correspondence to ensure items are tracked, reviewed and responded to within appropriate timelines.

• Managing the commissioner’s telephone calls and, as requested, e-mail messages to ensure that contacts are responded to as appropriate.

• Assessing office needs, supporting agency vision and mission and identifying the appropriate ways and people to meet those needs.

A complete position description can be found here.

The new executive assistant will join Rebecca Fabunmi, special assistant to the commissioner and deputy commissioner; Nancy Stone, special projects assistant; and Heidi Bryand, administrative assistant, on the Commissioner’s Support Team.

Meet the support team

Rebecca Fabunmi started as special assistant to the commissioner in March. She has 13 years of experience in transportation engineering, including highway design, hydrology, project management and traffic. Most recently, she was part of the project team that assisted in the development of Mn/DOT’s Strategic Vision.

In her role, Fabunmi serves as a key strategist and liaison to strategic initiatives, leads special studies and project teams and manages and coordinates marketing opportunities for the commissioner.    

Fabunmi can be reached at 651-366-4808.

Nancy Stone began working for Mn/DOT in 1992. She has worked for a variety of offices in her 17-year career, including Final Design, Human Resources and most recently, State Aid.  

As special projects assistant, Stone supports Fabunmi on a variety of initiatives.

“With time, my roles and responsibilities have grown to assist in the seamless flow of communication, connectivity and congruency,” Fabunmi said. “A special projects assistant position was created to help with fulfilling the commissioner’s strategic initiatives.”

Stone is also responsible for coordinating marketing materials, planning special events and completing special projects as assigned.

Along with satisfying their normal duties, Stone and Bryand will provide backup support to the executive assistant.

Stone can be reached at 651-366-4830.

Heidi Bryand joined Mn/DOT on July 1. She held previous positions at the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Bryand is the first person visitors to the Commissioner’s Office see, so it is her responsibility to greet them. She is also responsible for logging the commissioner’s correspondence, answering calls, organizing materials for marketing materials and performing administrative support duties as assigned.

Bryand’s phone number is 651-366-4801.

To view a listing of all available positions within Mn/DOT, visit https://statejobs.doer.state.mn.us/JobPosting.