Darrin Grondel

Senior Vice President, Traffic Safety

Dr. Grondel’s career in traffic safety began with the Washington State Patrol as a trooper in 1992, where he was promoted to sergeant, lieutenant and ultimately captain before retiring in 2017.

During his time as captain, Governor Christine Gregoire appointed Dr. Grondel as director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) in 2012. He was reappointed by Governor Inslee in 2013 and served in this role for over eight years.

Under his leadership, the WTSC led the passage of multiple traffic safety laws including impaired driving policies and distracted driving laws that resulted in improved enforcement and effectiveness. Dr. Grondel also directed Washington’s efforts to measure the effect of marijuana legalization on impaired driving. The data, programs, public education, research, and policies he implemented to prevent drug-impaired driving and multi-substance impaired driving have provided a national model to address these emerging issues.

As director of the WTSC, Dr. Grondel served as chair of the Washington Impaired Driving Advisory Council, the Traffic Records Committee, the Tribal Traffic Safety Advisory Board, and the Washington State Autonomous Vehicle Work Group.

At the national level, Dr. Grondel served on the executive committee of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) Board of Directors, first as secretary and then as its chairman. He serves as member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Roadway Safety Committee, the National Sheriffs’ Association’s Traffic Safety Committee, and the National Safety Councils Alcohol Drugs and Impaired Driving Committee. Dr. Grondel has contributed to numerous national projects related to drug-impaired driving, autonomous vehicles, and national strategic efforts to reduce traffic fatalities to zero.

Dr. Grondel has a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from The University of Massachusetts Global, a master of public administration from The Evergreen State College and a bachelor of political science from Brigham Young University.