HUTCHINSON — After a long career as a Wichita-based journalist, Tim Potter has been named a regional public affairs manager for the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Potter is based in the Hutchinson office of KDOT’s District Five, which spans 18 south-central Kansas counties: Barber, Barton, Butler, Comanche, Cowley, Edwards, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Kiowa, Pawnee, Pratt, Reno, Rice, Rush, Sedgwick, Stafford and Sumner.

For the past 22 years working as a staff writer for The Wichita Eagle, Potter reported on a variety of public safety issues, including traffic safety.

“It’s fitting for me to work for KDOT because safety is a huge part of its mission,” he said.

His job now entails writing about KDOT’s District Five operations and employees. He interacts with the public and KDOT’s partners. A key part of his focus is getting useful and timely information to motorists to help make their travel smooth and safe.

Potter grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.