Bill Ashbaker is a licensed professional engineer with more than 38 years of aviation and public transit engineering and planning experience in Florida and Michigan. He most recently served the State of Florida's Department of Transportation as the State Aviation Manager for the last 12 years. In this role, he developed and directed the largest state airport capital grant program in the U.S. During his time as State Aviation Manager, Bill allocated more than $1.5 billion for use by airports.

While at the department, Bill guided the development of a robust funding planning system called the Joint Automated Capital Improvement Program (JACIP). This Internet-based system facilitates a three-way partnership of airports, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the Federal Aviation Administration for strategic capital funding decisions.

To support state investments in Florida's system of airports, Bill developed a very progressive statewide aviation system plan that links funding to state policy and economic impact. He also directed programs for airport safety inspections and licensing, regulation of tall structures and land uses in the vicinity of airports, airport master planning and airport pavement inspection.

In an earlier role in the department, Bill managed multimodal planning responsible for state plans for public transit, aviation, and rail. Prior to joining the Florida Department of Transportation, Bill worked as an urban transportation manager with the Michigan Department of Transportation. Bill managed preliminary engineering for a proposed subway along Woodward Avenue in Detroit and the southeast Michigan commuter rail system. Mr. Ashbaker graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.