Senior Vice President, National Practice Leader and Fellow, Integrated Planning Services
HNTB Corporation
Dr. Paula Dowell is a nationally recognized leader in freight economics, multimodal goods movement planning, and transportation investment strategy, with more than 25 years of experience advancing federal and state freight policy. As Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader for Integrated Planning Services at HNTB Corporation, she directs the firm’s freight and goods movement portfolio, spanning planning, operations, emerging technologies, and policy analysis. Her work supports agencies across the country in making data driven investment decisions that strengthen supply chain performance and national economic competitiveness.
Dr. Dowell is widely regarded as one of the industry’s foremost experts in transportation economics and freight system performance. She has led more than two dozen state freight plans, numerous large-scale goods mobility and trade corridor studies, and over $800 million in successful federal grant applications advancing critical freight infrastructure. Her experience also includes serving as principal economist for major feasibility studies for rail, river, and deep-water port facilities, as well as inland ports.
A long-standing contributor to the Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC), Dr. Dowell has been actively engaged since its inception. She has represented multiple firms—Wilbur Smith Associates, Cambridge Systematics, and HNTB—in the coalition and has played a key leadership role in CAGTC initiatives. Her involvement includes organizing and speaking at annual meetings, recruiting members, co-chairing the strategic planning committee, serving on the board nominating committee, and securing sponsorship support for CAGTC events. Her depth of experience with the coalition’s mission and governance makes her a strong and informed candidate for board service.
Dr. Dowell frequently provides expert testimony for state legislatures on freight funding and return on investment, and is a sought-after national speaker on supply chain trends and public-sector investment strategy. She is an active member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), the International Transportation Economist Association (ITEA), and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.