Blogs

Jeffrey F. Paniati, P.E. Named ITE Executive Director and CEO

By Mr. John Kennedy P.E posted 05-13-2015 09:59 AM

  

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.

  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 

1 comment
1650 views

Permalink

Comments

05-15-2015 12:17 PM

This is fantastic news! I couldn't be more pleased to hear that Mr. Paniati will be at the helm of ITE later this year.