Advisory Board
Advisory Board:
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E. Dean Carlson Former Executive Director, FHWA Former Secretary of Transportation, Kansas Mr. Carlson, former Executive Director of FHWA, former Secretary of Transportation for the State of Kansas, and member of the National Academy of Engineering. In 2003, Dean Carlson retired from his position as Kansas Secretary of Transportation and began his consulting practice. He has nearly five decades of experience in the field of transportation; in addition to 8 years as Kansas Secretary, he served for 36 years with the Federal Highway Administration, retiring as Executive Director in 1994. His career with Federal Highway Administration included many positions in various Regional and Division Offices as well as the Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board, and was its Chairman in 2002. He is also former President of the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. In 2001, Secretary Carlson was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineers for “outstanding leadership and dedication in developing national highway policy, systems management initiatives and research programs.” During his distinguished career, Secretary Carlson has received numerous awards from Presidents G.H.W. Bush and Clinton, the Federal Highway Administration, The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the National Research Council, the International Road Federation and the Road Gang. |
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David A. Connell Vice President, Engineering Union Pacific Railroad Mr. Connell is the Vice President of Engineering for Union Pacific Railroad. David has worked for Union Pacific and predecessor companies for 26 years having held a variety of field and staff positions including AVP- Construction, Chief Engineer - Maintenance of Way and various track research positions. In his current position, David directs the design, construction and maintenance of all track, signal and bridge infrastructure in the nation’s largest railway. David holds a BS degree in Civil Engineering from NC State University and attended the Harvard Business School. He currently chairs the American Association of Railroad’s Heavy Axle Load Committee and is a member of the Railway Technology Working Committee at the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. |
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Mr. Michael Flanigon Director, Office of Safety and Security Office of Program Management Federal Transit Administration Mr. Flanigon has been involved in the rail transportation industry for over 35 years. He began his career as a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Lines (SP). During his tenure with SP, he worked as a switchman, conductor, locomotive engineer, and operating rules instructor. He has also worked with the California Public Utilities Commission, where he had responsibilities in that state’s rail safety oversight program, and the Valley Transportation Authority, where he served as environmental health and safety manager and subsequently as light rail superintendent. Later, at San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), he served as the chief safety officer. He was an NTSB railroad accident investigator and served as the investigator-in-charge on a number of high profile railroad and transit accidents before joining the FTA in 2007 as the director of the Office of Technology. He earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from California State University, Los Angeles, and his master’s degree in public administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. |
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Dr. Ray Krammes Technical Director, Research and Development Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center Dr. Krammes has spent the last three decades establishing himself as one of the nation’s preeminent road geometric design scholars. Dr. Krammes, who holds a PhD in civil engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and is a registered professional engineer, has more than three dozen publication credits to his name and was recognized as the Federal Highway Administration’s Engineer of the Year in 2004. He is a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Transportation Safety Council. |
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Mr. Dan Murray Vice President, Research American Transportation Research Institute Mr. Murray is Vice President of Research for the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), an awardwinning, not-for-profit research arm of the trucking industry that conducts objective research, analysis and evaluation on a range of transportation issues, such as safety, technology, productivity and security. Mr. Murray has overall responsibility for directing ATRI’s portfolio of research and has served as project manager on research initiatives sponsored by FHWA, FAA, FMCSA, USDA, CBP, TRB and TSA. In addition, he has served on various transportation research committees for organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, General Accounting Office, and Council on Competitiveness. Prior to joining ATRI, Mr. Murray worked for the Regional Transit Board (Minneapolis/St. Paul) as Project Administrator. He also spent several years working in economic development for a Chicago-based Fortune 50 business consortium. Mr. Murray received his BA from Gustavus Adolphus College, and his MS degree from Northwestern University. |
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Dr. Judy Perkins Professor and Department Head Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Prairie View A&M University Dr. Perkins holds a BS, MS, and PhD in civil engineering from Southern University, University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), and Georgia Institute of Technology, respectively. At the master’s level, her area of specialty was in reinforced concrete structures; at the doctoral level, it was in transportation engineering. Since 1992, Dr. Perkins’ research has focused on statewide intermodal transportation planning, transportation logistics, hurricane evacuation analyses, and the impact of economic development as it relates to transportation. Moreover, Dr. Perkins has accumulated extensive experience in the development of survey design, data collection, state-level transportation planning, and the refinement of economic development methodologies used to evaluate transportation-related activities. Dr. Perkins’ extensive record of publication extends into both the national and international transportation and engineering education arenas. |
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Mr. David Sehrt Senior Vice President Ingram Barge Lines Mr. Sehrt is Senior Vice President of Ingram Barge Lines. Mr. Sehrt graduated with a BS in civil engineering from Tulane University in 1976. In 1990, Mr. Sehrt received an MBA from the Owen School at Vanderbilt University. Since 1989, he has been with Ingram Barge Company, working primarily in the motor vessel engineering and barge maintenance areas. |
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Mr. Mark Stiles Senior Vice President Trinity Industries Inc. Mr. Stiles is Senior Vice President of Trinity Industries, Inc. a premier multi-industry growth company. He is also the Group President and directs worldwide business operations of the Construction, Marine and Components Group which is comprised of the following divisions: Trinity Highway Products, Trinity Renewable Energy Components, Trinity Rail Parts and Components, Trinity Marine, Trinity Logistics Company, Transit Mix Concrete and Materials Company, Armor Materials, and Trinity Materials, Inc. As Senior Vice President and Group President he oversees the operations and development of more than 7,000 employees. Representing his hometown district of Beaumont, Texas, Mr. Stiles served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, where he held numerous leadership positions during 16 years of service from 1982 to 1998. In the Texas House, he served as chairman of the House Committee on County Affairs, the House Committee on Ways and Means and an unprecedented three terms as Chairman of the powerful House Committee on Calendars. A recognized leader in the national business community, he is an expert in the area of heavy industrial manufacturing, transportation and infrastructure issues, and renewable energy policy. Mr. Stiles has testified numerous times before Congress, is very active politically and is a sought out speaker for major business and policy conferences throughout the country. |
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Mr. Ed Trout Chairman, American Trucking Association President, Cornhusker Trucking Cornhusker Motor Lines, Omaha Mr. Trout is past chairman of the American Trucking Association and current President of Cornhusker Trucking. In 1957, Mr. Trout graduated from Creighton Prep and then continued on to Creighton University, working nights on a dock for a local truck line while attending school. In 1960, he went to work for a truck line called Bee Line Motor Freight, and by 1968 he had moved up the ranks to vice president. In 1972, Mr. Trout became president of Bee Line Transportation, when he started another division of Bee Line called Cornhusker Motor Lines, which he had the opportunity to buy in 1988. Since 1988, Ed and his three sons, Joe, John, and Tom, have run the enormously successful family trucking business. Ed has also served as chairman of both the Nebraska Trucking Association and the American Trucking Association. |
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Mr. Robert VanderClute Senior Vice President, Safety and Operations Association of American Railroads Mr. VanderClute is a Senior Vice President of safety and operations at the Association of American Railroads. His department’s responsibilities include the oversight of the industry’s homeland security plan, equipment interchange standards, car service rules, quality assurance programs, and safety initiatives in addition to environmental issues, hazardous materials, communication signals, and tank car safety standards and design. Mr. VanderClute is the industry’s liaison with the FRA, NTSB, EPA, DHS, FCC, and other regulatory bodies. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, where he majored in transportation, Mr. VanderClute completed graduate school programs at both the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and the Harvard Business School. He is a “fellow” with CILT and is active in several public and professional organizations. Mr. VanderClute subsequently served as Vice President of Aperations and later Chief Operations Officer at Amtrak. Reporting directly to Amtrak’s president and chairman, Mr. VanderClute was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company, including customer service, transportation, procurement and material management, safety, environmental, engineering, and mechanical service centers as well as other key corporate responsibilities. During his career, the corporation implemented a high-speed rail program, embarked on a six billion-dollar infrastructure improvement program, replaced virtually its entire motive power and car fleet, and became the largest contract carrier of commuter services in North America. |
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Mr. Joseph Werning Division Administrator Federal Highway Administration – Nebraska Division Mr. Werning was appointed Division Administrator for the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Nebraska Division on August 18, 2008. In this capacity, Mr. Werning serves as the principal representative of the FHWA and is responsible for administering the entire federal aid highway program in Nebraska. He is responsible for providing leadership and guidance to state, local, industry, and academic officials in the identification of transportation needs and priorities that, when implemented, carry out national transportation and safety program goals. He is also responsible for establishing division office goals and objectives that will meet the agency’s strategic vision while maximizing available resources. Mr. Werning earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1989. For the past 19 years, he has held numerous professional positions with FHWA throughout the country and with a private engineering firm. He has extensive experience in the transportation field including, statewide and urban planning and programming, project development, environmental management, transportation finance, policy analysis, and legislative development. He has also received numerous performance awards, including the FHWA Administrator’s Award for Superior Achievement. |
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Mr. Richard Reiser Executive Vice President and General Counsel Werner Enterprises, Inc. Mr. Reiser is executive vice-president and general counsel of Werner Enterprises, Inc., an Omaha-based motor-carrier and logistics company that provides trucking service in 48 states. Dick is responsible for managing all of the legal, regulatory, and legislative affairs of Werner Enterprises, which include all general transportation and corporate legal matters. As a transportation expert, Reiser serves as Chairman of the Transportation Council of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Nebraska State Highway Commissioner for District 2, Vice-Chairman of the Litigation Center Board of Directors for the American Trucking Association, and Member of the ATA’s Board of Directors. Recently, Reiser also agreed to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Greater Omaha Alliance for Business Ethics. Reiser’s educational background includes a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (1968) and a juris doctorate degree from the University of Nebraska (1972). Prior to joining Werner Enterprises, he was in private practice in Omaha, Nebraska from 1972 through 1993. He is admitted to practice law in Iowa, Nebraska, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. |
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Mr. Monty Fredrickson Director, State Engineer Nebraska Department of Roads Mr. Fredrickson was born and raised in Stromsburg, Nebraska. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in 1969 from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he worked for Shell Oil Company as a mechanical engineer in New Orleans, Louisiana for two years. In 1970, he began working for the Nebraska Department of Roads and spent one year as survey party chief and inspector in the Omaha, Nebraska construction district. Mr. Frederickson also spent seventeen years working in the Roadway Design Division in Lincoln, Nebraska, rising to the position of Assistant Design Engineer in the following areas: Rural, Urban, Expressway and Interstate. After four years as District Engineer in charge of construction and maintenace back in Omaha, he is currently in the 16th year as Deputy Director for Engineering Services in Lincoln, Nebraska. |
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