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Volpe Center Highlights - September/October 2000

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Dr. John Awarded the Rank of Distinguished Executive

Photo of Mortimer Downey, Dr. Richard R. John and Kelley S. Coyner
Dr. Richard R. John, Director of the Volpe Center, is congratulated by Deputy Secretary of Transportation Mortimer Downey and RSPA Administrator Kelley S. Coyner at the RSPA Awards Ceremony held recently in Washington, D.C.

President Bill Clinton announced in October that Dr. Richard R. John, Director of the Volpe Center, is being awarded the Rank of Distinguished Executive. The award is the highest and most prestigious commendation given to federal members of the Senior Executive Service.

In announcing the President's decision, Ms. Kelley S. Coyner, Administrator of the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), and Mr. Jack Murray, Deputy Administrator of RSPA, praised Dr. John enthusiastically. "The award highlights and recognizes Dr. John's extraordinary and sustained performance and achievements throughout his career," they said. "Dr. John has demonstrated creativity, leadership, and a strong personal commitment to heightening awareness in the U.S. Department of Transportation, and indeed the transportation community, on the importance of bringing about technological innovation in shaping a transportation system that meets America's needs in the 21st Century. He has successfully led the Volpe Center in its ambitious mission of becoming a world-class federal center for facilitating transportation innovation. Dr. John is insightful, creative, energetic, and most of all, dedicated in his service to his country...We thank Dr. John for his relentless commitment to public service and for the exemplary manner in which he has consistently represented the Volpe Center, RSPA, and the Department of Transportation."

Dr. John joined the Volpe Center in 1970. Since that time, he has initiated and led the early development of many of the Center's current, world-class capabilities and participated in early groundbreaking studies on the international competitiveness of the U.S. automobile industry. More recently, Dr. John has become a spokesperson for the importance of an educated workforce and of long-term research in bringing about the technological innovations necessary to meet the transportation challenges of the 21st Century.

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