On behalf of the Institute of Transportation Engineer’s (ITE)
Executive Committee and International Board of Direction, it is with great
pleasure that I announce the selection of Jeffrey F. Paniati, P.E. as the
Institute’s next Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. Jeff will
remain in his current position with the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S.
DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as Executive Director, Office of the
Administrator, until mid-October, after which time he will join ITE
headquarters staff in Washington, DC, USA. Jeff will succeed current ITE
Executive Director and CEO Thomas W. Brahms, who will retire at the end of
December 2015 after 43 years of service to the Institute.
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Jeff’s more than 32-year career with FHWA has comprised a series of progressively more responsible roles, including leading safety and traffic operations research programs at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, where as Safety Design Chief he was a catalyst for the Highway Safety Manual; to Director of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office, where he led the establishment of the strategic direction and investment priorities for the U.S. DOT’s ITS program; and to Associate Administrator of the FHWA Office of Operations, where he led agency efforts to improve management and operations of the United States’ surface transportation system. |
Since 2008 Jeff has served as FHWA’s Executive Director, the
highest career position within FHWA. There he continues to be responsible for
2,900 employees in 65 offices nationwide and an annual operating budget of $400
million. In this position he is a senior adviser to the FHWA Administrator on
programs, policies, and priorities for the $40 billion annual federal-aid
highway program. He led the development and implementation of the highway provisions
in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) surface
transportation program, including the transformative move to a
performance-based federal-aid highway program. He has been a champion for
FHWA’s efforts to create more livable communities, better accommodate
pedestrians and bicycles, and create more flexible design approaches through
performance-based practical design and context sensitive solutions. Under Jeff’s
leadership, FHWA has been recognized as a Top 5 Best Place to Work (out of 300
peer federal agencies) by the Partnership for Public Service.
Jeff also represents the United States as the first delegate
to the World Road Association, where he serves as the Chair of the Strategic
Planning Commission that guides the Association’s technical programs and
strategic planning.
Jeff has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the
University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the
University of Maryland. He has received numerous recognitions and awards
including the prestigious Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Service and
has been inducted into the University of Connecticut’s Academy of Distinguished
Engineers and Hall of Fame.
Jeff has been a member of ITE for more than 25 years and is
a Fellow of the Institute. He has served as President of the ITE Washington, DC
Section and as the Chair of the Traffic Engineering Council.
His vision for the future of ITE is of an organization that
will be:
•
Recognized
by key stakeholders and partners as a leader in transportation; a strong
advocate for transportation funding and a key resource on transportation policy
issues; a critical conduit for delivering information and knowledge to
transportation professionals; and an association that has strong partnerships
with other leading organizations in advancing mutually-beneficial policy
objectives and member services.
•
A Relevant
and re-branded association that is much more inclusive in its membership ranks,
recognizing the needs of all users of the transportation system today and
looking ahead to the technology of tomorrow, and an innovator in both the
delivery of transportation and member services;
•
One that provides Value-Added services to its members through a strong and engaged
staff and is a premier source of transportation knowledge, delivering timely
learning and professional development; developing the next generation of
transportation leaders; and bringing the transportation community together both
locally and nationally.
•
A Connected
association not just to its members, but to other organizations and
associations. An association that provides a professional entry point for
transportation students; serves the “front lines” of transportation through its
Districts, Sections, and Chapters; links national and local ITE programs and
interests through sharing best practices; brings together the public, private,
and academic sectors; and is engaged in the global transportation community.
I have talked of a year of change as we celebrate ITE’s 85th
anniversary. This is one more step forward to meet the needs of our
profession’s ever-changing world.
John J. Kennedy, P.E., PTOE
ITE International President