Director of Volpe Financial Management

Michelle Freeman serves as the director of Volpe Financial Management, where she leads the financial management and oversight of the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Working Capital Fund (WCF) for the Office of the Secretary of Transportation at U.S. DOT.   

Freeman leads the formulation of an estimated annual budget of $400 million, directs the internal controls (Circular A-123, Enterprise Risk Management), financial reporting, financial policy, and annual budget execution of over 500 inter/intra-agency agreements (IAAs) of the WCF.  

She ensures proper pricing and full cost accounting to ensure overhead costs are equitably and fairly shared among the complete customer base and manages the annual overhead budget to validate the breakeven of the WCF. 

Freeman joined U.S. DOT in 2013 as a Presidential Management Fellow in PHMSA. She supported PHMSA from 2013 to 2019, starting as a budget analyst and becoming deputy director. As deputy director, Freeman formulated and executed PHMSA’s $240M budget and advised leadership on financial issues. She also served as the associate director for business services and administration in the Office of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response from 2019 to 2022 advising the office on financial and budgetary matters and providing financial oversight for intelligence issues, security policy, and emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities ensuring the office had the resources it needed to accomplish its mission. 

Freeman has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in financial management and information systems from the University of Maryland University College (Adelphi, MD).