James M. Bass

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Personal Information

James Bass, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation, will retire at the end of May. He served as Finance Division Director, Chief Financial Officer, and Executive Director over 21 years.

Bass began work at TxDOT in 1985 while still a student at The University of Texas at Austin, serving as an engineer aide doing summer work. After graduation, Bass started full-time at the transportation agency as an accounting clerk and has never left.

By 1999, Bass was made director of TxDOT's financial division, giving him oversight of the agency's budget. He added to that responsibility in 2005, when he became CFO. Bass also served as interim executive director from the end of 2013 to early 2014, when the time the now-retiring Joe Weber got the job.