BROOKHAVEN — A Brookhaven native earned a promotion recently. The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced new members of its leadership team Wednesday.

Janie Bass, P.E., will serve as Assistant Chief Engineer – Field Operations; Lee Frederick, P.E., will serve as Director of Preconstruction – Engineering; and Trudi Loflin will serve as Director of Preconstruction – Program Management.

“Janie, Lee and Trudi are all consummate professionals that have served MDOT exceedingly well for years,” Brad White, MDOT Executive Director said. “I am confident their combined skill sets, talents and institutional knowledge will set the department on a course for success for years to come, and the residents of and visitors to the State of Mississippi will ultimately benefit.”

Janie Bass, P.E., of Brookhaven, started her career with MDOT as an engineer-in-training after graduating from Mississippi State University with a B.S. in civil engineering in 1999. Bass is a graduate of Brookhaven Academy. Her husband Chris Bass is an engineer as well. 

Lydia Bass and Sylvia Bass, her daughters, attend Loyd Star Attendance Center where they play basketball. Craig Bass, her son, is a pitcher on the Copiah-Lincoln Community College baseball team. 

Bass served as a project engineer and in various leadership roles in MDOT’s District 7, including assistant district construction engineer and assistant maintenance engineer. Currently, She serves as the District 7 construction engineer, overseeing all preconstruction and construction activities in the district which includes Franklin, Lawrence, Lincoln, Pike, Amite and Walthall Counties.

Lee Frederick, P.E., of Flora, began working at MDOT in 2008 as an engineer-in-training in the Holly Springs Project Office. In 2019, he became MDOT’s State LPA Engineer, overseeing the Local Public Agency division, which provides support to local communities for their infrastructure projects. Prior to joining MDOT, Frederick worked as a consultant to MDOT in the private sector. He received a B.S. in civil engineering from Mississippi State University in 2005.

Trudi Loflin, of Lena, began her career with MDOT as a right-of-way acquisition agent in the Right of Way division in 1998. After serving in numerous capacities within the division, Loflin became division director in 2014. She graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1997 with a degree in paralegal studies.

Bass, Frederick and Loflin will each begin their new roles effective Jan. 1, 2024.

To learn more about careers with the Mississippi Department of Transportation visit GoMDOT.com/careers, follow MDOT on LinkedIn or follow @MississippiDOT on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.