INDIANAPOLIS (November 9, 2006) ? Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Sharp has submitted his resignation to Governor Mitch Daniels. He has been commissioner since January 2005.

?Indiana owes Tom Sharp a real debt of thanks. He stepped out of retirement to serve state government and lead an important and sometimes troubled agency,? said Daniels. ?He leaves behind a pre-funded, clearly prioritized, record-shattering road plan, a record anyone could be proud of.?

Daniels has named Karl Browning, the Chief Information Officer for the state?s Office of Technology, as the new Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) commissioner. Browning also has been a member of the governor?s cabinet since January 2005.

Daniels said the challenge facing INDOT now is to cut red tape and to re-engineer its processes to take advantage of Indiana?s unique situation, a fully funded transportation program.

?No state has ever been in a position this strong: billions in the bank and projects identified by order of importance,? said Daniels. ?Now, it?s a matter of implementing the plan in the fastest and most efficient way possible.?

Sharp will work through the end of this month.

In a letter of thanks the governor sent to Sharp, he said, ?Not many jobs provide concrete, permanent reminders of the work a person put into them, but for years to come you will get to witness the physical evidence of your efforts coming into being, with enormous benefits for generations to come.?

Browning has spent more than 35 years helping organizations change through the effective use of information technology. Before joining state government, Browning was chief information officer for Golden Rule Insurance and director of insurance operations for Perot Systems Corporation.