Kimberly Vachal named director of NDSU's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute

Posted: Oct 23, 2026

Transportation researcher Kimberly Vachal has been named director of North Dakota State University's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute beginning November 2.

"For nearly 60 years, the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute has built a solid foundation of research and service," Vachal said. "I look forward to working with the institute's talented staff and great partners to build on that foundation. Seeking stakeholder engagement and innovative solutions, we will continue our mission to conduct research and outreach that supports safe and efficient transportation for the future."

Vachal has spent more than three decades advancing transportation research, outreach, and stakeholder engagement at the institute. She joined UGPTI as a research assistant in 1992, served as a program director and senior researcher from 1999 to 2017, and was an associate professor in what is now the Department of Finance, Supply Chain and Transportation from 2017 to 2021 while continuing as a program director at the institute. Since 2021, she has served as a program director, senior research faculty member, and transportation safety principal at UGPTI.

Vachal's research focuses on agricultural transportation economics and traffic safety evaluation. She develops her research agenda in collaboration with stakeholders, with an emphasis on a globally competitive agricultural industry, human factors in traffic safety, and community connectivity. She earned her master's and bachelor's degrees in agricultural economics from NDSU and a doctorate in public policy from George Mason University.

Vachal will succeed Denver Tolliver, who will retire November 5 after more than four decades at NDSU, including 14 years as director. Over his career, Tolliver helped establish NDSU as a national leader in transportation research, securing more than $57 million in external research funding, expanding the institute's impact and state support, advancing research in transportation infrastructure and logistics, and developing nationally recognized graduate education programs.