Victor Mendez was sworn in on July 17, 2009, as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the 18th person to hold this position.

Mendez was previously Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), beginning in November 2001. Mendez started at ADOT in 1985 as a transportation engineer. He was later named deputy state engineer with ADOT's Valley Transportation Group, where he provided leadership for the Phoenix area's multi-billion dollar freeway system. He worked his way up the agency, becoming Deputy Director in 1999 and Acting Director four months before his appointment as Director.

In 2006, Mendez was elected president of both the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), its national counterpart. He chaired its Standing Committee on Research, the Operations Council of the Standing Committee on Highways, and the oversight group for the Transportation Research Board Long-Term Pavement Performance program.