The five-member Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission named Mark P. Compton of Manheim, Pa., as its next chief executive officer. A professional with nearly two decades of broad, public and private sector experience in transportation, administration, development, government affairs and construction, Compton will start the Turnpike post Feb. 1, 2013.

Comptonâ??s selection was unanimously approved by the commission at its bimonthly board meeting held at the Turnpikeâ??s Eastern Regional Office in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County. He succeeds former Turnpike CEO Roger Nutt, who resigned Oct. 31 citing health issues after serving as Turnpike CEO for 19 months.

Compton currently serves as PennDOTâ??s deputy secretary of administration, overseeing eight bureaus within the agency, including: human resources; information systems governance; business solutions and services; infrastructure and operations; and fiscal management.

Compton, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University with a major in government management and administration, said the Turnpike has recently seen major changes in how it operates, with even wider changes on the horizon â?? changes that present challenges and opportunities for the commission.

Before joining PennDOT, Compton served as director of government affairs for American Infrastructure, a heavy civil construction company comprised of four distinct companies headquartered in Worcester, Pa. Prior to that, he worked in various public and private operations, focusing largely on transportation, construction and economic development.

Turnpike Chief Operating Officer Craig R. Shuey will continue to serve as acting CEO until Compton officially takes over as CEO in February.