Ann Schneider, Illinois’ first female transportation secretary, has spent almost 25 years in state government putting the public’s money to work.

Schneider is completing her seventh month heading up the Illinois Department of Transportation, as the next federal transportation funding bill is being held hostage in Congress. Available state funding for roads won’t cover repairs, let alone finance expansion projects needed to ease traffic congestion.

All of which means to Schneider, 51, whose background is fiscal policy and planning, that it’s time to seek creative solutions. She sees opportunities, from improving mass transit to exploring ways to reduce congestion on highways.

Read more at the Chicago Tribune.