TIFTON – Jason Willingham, whose Georgia Department of Transportation career began 18 years ago, has been appointed district engineer for District 4/Southwest Georgia.

Willingham replaces Scott Chambers, who has been district engineer since 2021 and is retiring at the end of the month. Willingham’s appointment was effective May 16. He was promoted from District Preconstruction Engineer, a position he held since April 2020.

“I am excited and honored to continue to serve the traveling public and the citizens of Georgia as the Georgia Department of Transportation’s District 4 Engineer,” Willingham said.

Willingham will be responsible for all operations within the district’s 31 counties and will supervise a staff of approximately 400 people. The district engineer also works closely with the State Transportation Board and local and state government officials across southwest Georgia.

In announcing Willingham’s promotion, Georgia DOT Director of Field Services Corbett Reynolds said Willingham’s “expertise and leadership will be instrumental in advancing the district’s initiatives.” Willingham has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University, which has since merged with Kennesaw State University, and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee. He is a licensed Professional Engineer. He has held various roadway design roles at Georgia DOT, gaining valuable expertise in Engineering Services.

Willingham is a native of Georgia. He and his wife, Courtney, live in Irwin County and are parents to Grayson, 4, and recent kindergarten graduate Adalynn, 6.

The district office is located at 710 W. Second St. in Tifton and can be reached by calling 229-386-3280. The district also staffs area offices in Valdosta, Douglas, Donalsonville, Moultrie and Albany. Contact information for those offices can be found at https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/Pages/GDOTDistricts.aspx.