Johannes Hoevertsz named Sonoma County’s new director of transportation and public works

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has promoted Johannes Hoevertsz to become the next director of the county’s Transportation and Public Works department.

Hoevertsz, 50, has been deputy director of the department since 2015, overseeing the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport and the department’s solid waste, water systems and transit divisions. He will replace current director Susan Klassen, who is retiring next month after 32 years working for the agency.

Supervisors selected Hoevertsz in a closed-door meeting Friday following a nationwide search, and they announced his appointment at their regular public meeting Tuesday. He is set to begin his new job Oct. 10, and his contract is up for formal consideration by the board at its Oct. 3 meeting.

As transportation and public works director, Hoevertsz will manage a department with a budget of $142.3 million and about 165 employees. The agency is responsible for the unincorporated county’s 1,380-mile road system, as well as the airport, public transit and other services.

“I am humbled and honored to have been entrusted with the leadership of the Department of Transportation and Public Works,” Hoevertsz said in a statement.

He brings to his new role more than 18 years of related experience. Before joining the ranks of Sonoma County government employees, he worked for Madera County for eight years, the last three of which he served as public works director. He has also been a senior engineer and division manager in Fresno County.

The salary for his new job is set at $179,210.

You can reach Staff Writer J.D. Morris at 707-521-5337 or jd.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @thejdmorris.