Although representative bureaucracy has been widely researched, minorities remain underrepresented in executive level positions in public organizations. This qualitative study investigated minority representation in executive level positions of North Carolina government agencies with focus on the Department of Transportation (DOT). Impediments to the hiring and promotion of Black males with comparable qualifications as White males in the officially titled positions of Officials & Administrators and Management-Related top-level positions were analyzed. Although previous empirical studies did not focus on any specific cause of minorities' underrepresentation, they generally found that organizational structure and behavior contributed to more concentration of minorities in the lower level positions. The theoretical foundation of this study was based on the organizational culture theory, which suggests that culture provides the stimulus for activities and/or functions in the organization. Twenty-five professional licensed engineers with a minimum of 10 years of service were interviewed. In addition, archives from the North Carolina Office of State Personnel (1999-2007) and the 2003 Equal Employment Opportunity Report were reviewed. Interviews revealed that the availability of Black males in the labor market impacted their recruitment. Although Black males' qualifications were comparable to those of White males, Black males waited longer for promotions, were compensated lower and overrepresented in the low-to-mid level positions. This study contributes to social change by addressing the impediments to Black males' advancement to executive level positions. In addition, this study advances the understanding of representative bureaucracy and its implications for policy decisions, the allocation of resources, and the delivery of services to the citizenry.