Lan Zhou

Caltrans District 12, District Director

Director Lan Zhou is over a 20-year veteran of the California Department of Transportation. She currently serves as the Caltrans District 12 Director.

Director Zhou previously served as District 12 Deputy Director of Planning and Local Assistance for eleven years. Before that, Zhou was the District 12 Corridor System Management Program Manager and Regional Planning and Local Development Review Branch Chief. She began her Caltrans career in District 4 in the Bay Area as a lead engineer in Maintenance and Toll Bridge Engineering. Zhou has a long history in strategic planning, organizational excellence, and partnership building, and has a wide breadth of experience including working for universities, a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), local government and multiple State Departments of Transportation (DOTs).

As the District 12 Director, Zhou leads nearly 1,000 employees and serves 3.2 million residents in building a professional, productive and people first district culture, implementing the Department’s Strategic Plan, and strengthening partnerships.

Director Zhou’s commitment to integrity, diversity and accountability has enabled her to create high performing teams internally and collaborative partnerships externally. Zhou holds two master’s degrees in Civil Engineering and Urban & Regional Planning, and she is both a certified engineer and planner.

Born and raised in China, Zhou is married to a wonderful husband and has raised two very accomplished daughters. In her spare time, Zhou is actively involved in her church, enjoys reading, traveling, hiking, and practicing Taichi.