Two long-term Kansas Department of Transportation employees retired in December with a combined 75 years of service.
Sandra Tommer retired as Bureau Chief of Construction and Materials after 40 years with the agency. She graduated from Kansas State University and joined KDOT through the Engineer-in-Training program. From there she became a project engineer at the Topeka Construction Office, then became a construction engineer in 1982.
Six years later she became the area engineer in Wamego and was promoted in 2000 to District One construction engineer in Topeka. She held her last position since 2011, where she was over the department responsible for letting and contract administration and the KDOT Central Lab where materials specification and testing are performed.
Ellen Laird retired as IT Project Manager in the KDOT Division of Operations after 35 years. She began in 1980 at the department’s Bureau of Construction and Maintenance as a clerk typist. Laird later became a programmer analyst in the Bureau of Computer Services and then promoted several times to development supervisor in 2007. She held he most recent position since 2008.