News from New York State Department of Transportation

For more information contact: Carol Breen, 518-457-6400

NYSDOT Announces Employee Awards Of Excellence

Honors Granted to Staff for Outstanding Accomplishments, Valor and Career Service

ALBANY, NY (11/14/2008; 1300)(readMedia)-- A Motor Equipment Mechanic with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) who came to the aid of a motorcycle accident victim was one of 13 NYSDOT employees who were honored at a recent ceremony for recipients of the 2008 Commissioner's Award of Excellence.

NYSDOT Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn announced the award winners, who were honored for acts of valor and outstanding professional achievements during a special recognition program at the New York State Museum in Albany on October 21.

"At the state Department of Transportation, our employees are one of our biggest assets, without which we would not be able to meet our mission of managing the state's transportation infrastructure," Commissioner Glynn said. "Governor David Paterson and I are proud to highlight the successes of these hardworking people."

The awards are presented annually to employees who demonstrate exceptional skill or dedication within one of four categories, including act of valor, career excellence, program or process advancement and project or individual accomplishment.

Award winners are:

• Christopher J. Larkin of Cortland, Cortland County, received the Commissioner's Award of Excellence for his valor and an outstanding display of the department's values while performing a heroic, unselfish act by coming to the aid of the victim of a serious motorcycle accident on Interstate 81 near Exit 5 in Binghamton, Broome County. He assisted by directing rush-hour traffic around the scene until emergency personnel arrived, minimizing congestion and preventing the accident victim from suffering further injury.
• John J. Dessena of Canisteo, Steuben County, received the Commissioner's Award of Excellence in the career excellence category for his exemplary dedication to helping
  others attain the skills necessary to carry out the mission of the Office of Real Estate.
  He is a respected and distinguished expert in his field and has become an important departmental resource, implementing and instructing essential training courses.
• John Bassett of Menands, Albany County; Ola O. Fawumi of Watervliet, Albany County; Rebecca Gibson of Malta, Saratoga County; Michele Rhodes of Ballston Spa, Saratoga County; Edwin G. Roberts of Ballston Lake, Saratoga County; and Rexella S. William of Latham, Albany County, received the Commissioner's Award of Excellence in the program or process advancement category for outstanding efforts in developing, coordinating and advancing innovative, high-quality traffic operations and traveler information service in support of the 2007 New York State Fair. New efforts that supported daily traffic management included creating improved traffic-flow patterns into all of the parking lots, developing portable E-ZPass detectors to collect parking fees, mobilizing additional Variable Message Signs and developing a public Web site to display traffic camera feeds from the vicinity of the fair grounds.
• Barbara S. Abrahamer of Albany, Albany County, and David C. Woodin of Waterford, Saratoga County, received the Commissioner's Award of Excellence in the program or process advancement category for outstanding performance and teamwork in developing and implementing the New York State supplement to the National Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Between 2006 and 2008, the pair guided NYSDOT through the adoption of national standards, as well as developed and implemented a New York State supplement to those standards.
• John R. Martin of Islip, Suffolk County, received the Commissioner's Award of Excellence in the program or process advancement award for personal initiative and leadership in creating and implementing an inter-regional knowledge team to provide air-quality expertise for projects in all 11 regions of the state. The structure he developed allows regional staff to access timely, professional technical assistance and guidance from NYSDOT experts across the state.
• Cindy Beighey of Clifton Park, Saratoga County, received the Commissioner's Award of Excellence in the project or individual accomplishment award for performing in a leadership role in the Web External Project Information (WEPI) project, 511 New York, external Web site redesign and internal Web site redesign, all within one year, demonstrating an outstanding effort and accomplishing superior achievement. WEPI makes current data about all of NYSDOT's capital projects available to the public in a searchable format for the first time on our external Web site.
• Bob Zerrillo of Slingerlands, Albany County, received the Commissioner's Award of Excellence in the project or individual accomplishment category for outstanding effort and teamwork in preparing NYSDOT's first comprehensive assessment of future capital investment needs for all modes of transportation. The document his team produced presented a new policy framework for infrastructure investment decision making, clearly articulated the scope of the state's transportation funding needs and was the basis for Commissioner Glynn's testimony at the 2007 Capital Budget Hearing and multiple public forums across the state.

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