Study Committee Biographical Information
Michael D. Meyer, Chair, is Senior Advisor, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc., and a Principal with Modern Transport Solutions in Atlanta, Georgia. He previously was Director of the Georgia Transportation Institute, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and former Chair of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. From 1983 to 1988, Dr. Meyer was Director of Transportation Planning and Development for Massachusetts, where he was responsible for statewide planning, project development and engineering, traffic engineering, and transportation research. Before that, he was a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Meyer has written more than 180 technical articles and has authored or coauthored numerous texts on transportation planning and policy. His publications have examined many issues in transportation, such as land use–transportation interactions, freight and logistics planning, and climate change. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB’s) W. N. Carey, Jr., Award for Distinguished Service in 2009. He was Chair of TRB’s Executive Committee in 2006. Dr. Meyer has a BS in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin, an MS in civil engineering from Northwestern University, and a PhD in civil engineering from MIT. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Georgia.
Kevin Chesnik is Principal Engineer, Applied Research Associates, and is retired from the Wisconsin DOT. Mr. Chesnik
served as Wisconsin’s member on AASHTO’s Standing Committee on Highways (SCOH) and its Standing Committee on Research and was chair of SCOH’s Technology Implementation Group. As Chief Engineer for the Wisconsin DOT, Mr. Chesnik had broad responsibilities for leading the department. In previous roles within the department, he gained experience in rural and urban highway design and maintenance, including development of plans, specifications, engineering documents, environmental documents, hydraulic reports, real estate plats and descriptions, utility plans, and survey maps. He has been a technical supervisor for design, maintenance, survey, and utility engineering units. More than 90 percent of Wisconsin DOT’s research needs flow through the Chief Engineer. Mr. Chesnik has directed the development, priorities, and funding needs for the DOT’s transportation research program, working with industry, universities, and FHWA staff. Mr. Chesnik has a BS in civil engineering and a BS in construction management from the University of Wisconsin.
Karen K. Dixon is a Research Engineer with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Previously, she was an Associate and then Full Professor of Civil Engineering at Oregon State University. She received a BS in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and an MCE and a PhD in civil engineering from North Carolina State University. Her fields of specialization are transportation engineering (design, operations, and safety) and site development. Before joining the faculty of Oregon State, she was an Assistant and Associate Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Dixon has also worked as a consulting engineer with a variety of civil engineering firms and is a registered professional engineer in the states of Arizona and Texas. She is active in TRB, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. She has won awards for best paper from TRB and other organizations and has won faculty awards at Oregon State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Dixon is the author or co-
author of more than 80 technical papers or research reports and of a highway design textbook.
Patricia Gillette is the Vice President of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association. She received a BS in political science, chemistry, and history from Northern Arizona University in 1988 and a PhD in international studies from the University of Denver. Her areas of specialization are program management, research design and evaluation, public policy analysis, and transportation policy and planning. Dr. Gillette has previously worked for the American Trucking Associations Foundation Research Division and the Western Highway Institute. She has published papers on operating practices in the I-70 Mountain Corridor, motor carrier safety and maintenance practices, in-vehicle monitoring of fatigue of motor carrier operators, and other subjects. Dr. Gillette is a member of the American Transportation Research Institute Research Advisory Committee and serves on the Colorado Operation Lifesaver board and other civic organizations.
Timothy A. Henkel is an Assistant Commissioner and directs the Modal Planning and Program Management Division at the Minnesota DOT. He manages the Offices of Passenger Rail, Transportation System Management, Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations, Transit, Aeronautics, Transportation Data and Analysis, and Research. Mr. Henkel’s 30-year transportation career includes work with local governments and the private sector, and he has held numerous Minnesota DOT responsibilities, including executive leadership of multimodal planning, program management, and project development and delivery. Mr. Henkel chairs the FHWA Transportation Asset Management Expert Task Group and the Minnesota Council on Transportation Access, and he is Vice Chair of AASHTO’s Standing Committee on Planning and Transportation Asset Management Subcommittee. He received a bachelor of science degree from Bemidji State University and a certificate in civil engineering and land surveying from Dunwoody College.
Wayne K. Kittelson is the Founding Principal of Kittelson & Associates, Inc., and has been involved in transportation-related issues, research, and training for more than 30 years. He graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and from the University of California at Berkeley with a master’s degree in transportation engineering. He has spent his entire professional career in the private sector and worked with two nationally prominent companies before establishing Kittelson & Associates, Inc., in 1985. He has been engaged in TRB committees and activities since 1978 and continues to participate on the Committee on Highway Capacity and Quality of Service. Mr. Kittelson is currently the Principal Investigator for the SHRP 2 Project on Understanding the Contributions of Operations, Technology, and Design in Meeting Highway Capacity Needs. He is a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the American Consulting Engineers Council.
Michael R. Morris has been on staff in the Transportation Department of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the MPO for the Dallas–Fort Worth area, since 1979. The MPO serves the region by developing transportation plans and programs that address the transportation needs of a rapidly growing metropolitan area. Mr. Morris became the Director in 1990. As the Director of Transportation, he is also responsible for coordinating plans, programs, and projects to improve mobility and reduce vehicle emissions. He received a master’s degree in civil engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1979 and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas. Several groups including the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and the Texas Transportation Commission have recognized him. He previously served as Chair of TRB’s Executive Committee and as a National Associate of the National Academies. Mr. Morris has served on several TRB study committees.
Harold (Skip) Paul is the Director of the Louisiana Transportation Research Center, which is sponsored jointly by the Louisiana DOTD and Louisiana State University. Mr. Paul has been serving the Louisiana DOTD for more than 35 years in the research section and, since 1986, the Louisiana Transportation Research Center. He has been the Director of the center since March 2006. Mr. Paul has also served as an Engineer-in-Training; Bituminous Research Engineer; Materials Research Engineer; and Associate Director, Research. As a researcher, he has more than 45 publications in the journals of TRB, the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, and other organizations. Mr. Paul has also served TRB on NCHRP panels and in a number of volunteer leadership positions, culminating in his service as the Technical Activities Council Chair from 1999 to 2002. He was named a National Associate of the National Academies in 2001 and was the recipient of TRB’s W. N. Carey, Jr., Distinguished Service Award in 2013. He is a former board member of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists and has participated in many FHWA advisory groups. Mr. Paul is a graduate of Lehigh University. He holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and a bachelor of arts degree in English. He is a licensed engineer in the state of Louisiana.
J. David Roessner is Senior Fellow with the Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development at SRI International and Professor of Public Policy Emeritus at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Before joining the Georgia Tech faculty in 1980, he was Principal Scientist and Group Manager for Industrial Policy and Planning at the Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden, Colorado. He previously worked for the National Science Foundation, the Bureau of Social Science Research, Inc., and Hewlett–Packard Company. Dr. Roessner received a BS and an MS in electrical engineering from Brown University and Stanford University, respectively. He returned to graduate school after working at Hewlett–Packard to receive a master’s degree in science, technology, and public policy from Case
Western Reserve University in 1967 and a PhD in the same field in 1970. Dr. Roessner’s research interests include national technology policy, the evaluation of research programs, the management of innovation in industry, technology transfer, and indicators of scientific and technological development. In addition to numerous technical reports, he has published articles in policy-oriented journals on topics of technology policy, and his 1997 book on government innovation policy received the Aaron Wildavsky Award for one of the best policy studies books published since 1975. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1996.
Robert L. Sack is Deputy Chief Engineer, Technical Services Division, with the New York State DOT. He is responsible for the technical and administrative management of a division charged with providing materials engineering and testing, geotechnical engineering and testing, highway-use data services, and targeted transportation research in a timely and cost-effective manner for the department and other governmental agencies. The division manages the quality assurance program for materials incorporated into department projects, manages the department’s testing laboratories, and is responsible for the department’s pavement management program. Prior positions with the department include assignments in the Offices of Engineering, Legal Affairs, Operations, and Regional Affairs and in the Office of the Commissioner. Mr. Sack holds the academic degrees of master of public administration, master of science in civil engineering, bachelor of science in civil engineering, and associate in science. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of New York. He is a member of AASHTO’s Standing Committee on Research and of ASCE.
Kumares C. Sinha is the Edgar B. and Hedwig M. Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering and a former Director of the Joint Transportation Research Program of Purdue University and the Indiana DOT. His research interest is in transporta-
tion planning, engineering, and management. He has authored or coauthored more than 450 technical publications, including a book, Transportation Decision Making: Principles of Project Development and Programming. He has mentored numerous students worldwide, and he consults for the World Bank on transportation and infrastructure issues. He is a registered professional engineer and an Honorary Member of ASCE. He has served as President of the Transportation and Development Institute of ASCE, President of the Research and Education Division of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, President of the Council of University Transportation Centers, and member of the Federal Advisory Council on Transportation Statistics. He is the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of the Journal of Transportation Engineering. Dr. Sinha has received numerous honors and awards, including the Roy W. Crum Award of TRB. He is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Stephanie N. Wiggins is the Executive Officer—Congestion Reduction Demonstration Initiative of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a position she has held since 2008. She received a BA from Whittier College in 1992 and an MBA from the University of Southern California in 2007. She has previously worked for the San Bernardino Associated Governments as Director of Management Services and for the Riverside County Transportation Commission, where she held positions such as Regional Programs Director, Rail Department Manager, and Rail Program Manager. Ms. Wiggins is active in the Women’s Transportation Seminar (founding president of the Inland Empire Chapter and 2005 member of the year) and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.
James M. (Jay) Winford, Jr., is President of Prairie Contractors and Prairie Investments, headquartered in Opelousas, Louisiana. Prairie Contractors specializes in the production and construction of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavements. It operates three fixed-based HMA plants in south central and southwestern Louisiana
along with three aggregate distribution rail facilities. Dr. Winford earned a BS and an MS in civil engineering and an MBA from Tulane University. He earned a PhD in civil engineering from Auburn University while associated with the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT). He is active in the American Society for Testing and Materials International, ASCE, the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists, the International Society for Asphalt Pavements, TRB, the Louisiana Asphalt Pavement Association (President), and the National Asphalt Pavement Association (Executive Committee). He serves as Chairman of the Board of NCAT. Dr. Winford is also an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and the Chief Executives’ Organization.
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The Essential Federal Role in Highway Research and Innovation
TRB Special Report 317 summarizes conclusions and advice on the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) critical role in highway research, development, and technology (RD&T) that have been developed over the years by TRB’s Research and Technology Coordinating Committee (RTCC). The RTCC is charged to monitor and review FHWA’s research and technology activities; provide advice to FHWA on the setting of a research agenda and coordination of highway research with states, universities, and other partners; review strategies to accelerate the deployment and adoption of innovation; and identify areas where research may be needed.
The RTCC concludes that FHWA plays an essential role in exploratory, advanced research; addresses national priorities that other highway RD&T programs do not address; and facilitates adoption of innovations at the state and local level through technology transfer. The RTCC notes that FHWA, along with its other responsibilities, will play a particularly important role in ensuring the standardization of safety alerts to motorists between infrastructure and vehicles as part of the national connected vehicle initiative, as well as assisting transportation agencies in implementing the many innovations developed in the second Strategic Highway Research Program.
ALSO OF INTEREST
Transportation Research Implementation: Application of Research Outcomes
Conference Proceedings 51, ISBN 978-0-309-29559-8, 149 pages, 8.5 x 11, paperback, 2015, $70.00
Framing Surface Transportation Research for the Nation’s Future
Special Report 313, ISBN 978-0-309-29490-4, 167 pages, 6 x 9, paperback, 2014, $41.00
How We Travel: A Sustainable National Program for Travel Data
TRB Special Report 304, ISBN 978-0-309-16722-2, 168 pages, 6 x 9, paperback, 2011, $38.00
The Federal Investment in Highway Research, 2006–2009: Strengths and Weaknesses
Special Report 295, ISBN 978-0-309-12605-2, 173 pages, 6 x 9, paperback, 2008, $34.00
Performance Measures for Research, Development, and Technology Programs
National Cooperative Highway Research Program Synthesis 300, ISBN 0-309-06915-7, 97 pages, 8.5 x 11, paperback, 2001, $33.00
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