Highway Patrol superintendent to retire, take new state government role

Col. Brandon Solberg, superintendent of the North Dakota Highway Patrol. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

North Dakota Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Brandon Solberg will retire from law enforcement and transition to director of facility management for the Office of Management and Budget effective Dec. 1, Gov. Doug Burgum announced Friday.

Solberg has been superintendent since 2018. He started his career with the Highway Patrol in 1999, working in Grafton, Grand Forks and Fargo before earning the rank of lieutenant in 2007 and moving to Bismarck.

He was promoted to captain in 2011, then major and chief of staff in 2014. In that role, he oversaw roughly 200 employees and helped manage the agency’s budget.

During his tenure as superintendent, Solberg guided the implementation of the Vision Zero traffic safety initiative launched in 2018 by the Highway Patrol, North Dakota Department of Transportation and Department of Health and Human Services. In 2022, there were 98 traffic crash fatalities in the state — the lowest in 20 years.

“It has been an incredible honor and privilege to serve as a member of Gov. Burgum’s cabinet, and I appreciate him entrusting me with leading the highly professional team at the North Dakota Highway Patrol,” Solberg said in the announcement.

The current director of facility management, John Boyle, is retiring after more than two decades in the position effective Dec. 1.

The state will post the job opening for Highway Patrol superintendent in early fall, according to the announcement.

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