Sam Zimbabwe

PRINCIPAL
 

Sam Zimbabwe is Principal with Plot Strategies, a consulting practice that works with cities and nonprofit organizations to deliver policy, planning, implementation, and engagement strategies.

He served until recently as the Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation, the multi-modal transportation and mobility agency for the largest city in Washington State and the 18th-largest city in the United States. In this role, Sam was responsible for the planning, design, and construction of major infrastructure projects and the day-to-day operations and emergency preparedness of 1,100+ employees. Sam oversaw successful delivery of capital projects and operations with a $600M+ annual budget, including delivery of the Levy to Move Seattle and the West Seattle Bridge Program. He advanced critical initiatives around transportation equity, Vision Zero, and asset management during his tenure.

Previously, Sam held senior management positions for over 7 years with the District Department of Transportation in Washington, DC. He served as the department’s first Chief Project Delivery Officer, responsible for delivering over $150M in annual capital projects and for advancing the development of a connected, multi-modal transportation system serving all parts of the city. Sam led the development of the award-winning moveDC multi-modal transportation plan, the District of Columbia’s first long-range transportation plan in nearly 20 years.

Sam has worked in the non-profit sector advancing equitable transit-oriented development across the country with the Center for Transit-Oriented Development and in the private sector.

Active with the National Association of City Transportation Officials for over a decade, Sam worked on policy and design issues facing the transportation sector nationally. He has been a member of the Board of Advisors for Young Professionals in Transportation since 2018 and has been an invited lecturer at Georgetown University and University of Washington.