Volpe Center Highlights - March/April 2004
New Role for Dr. Richard R. John
Focus |
Workshops |
New Role for Dr. Richard R. John |
Safety
Mobility |
Global Connectivity |
Environmental Stewardship |
Security
Organizational Excellence |
Highlighting Volpe Experts |
Awards
Published and Presented
Dr. Richard R. John |
Volpe Center Director 1989 to 2004
Dr. Richard John has accepted a new position at the Volpe Center as Senior Technical Advisor, Office of Traffic and Operations Management. In this role, Dr. John will continue to provide his insight and knowledge to many of the critical programs under development with the Center.
In July 1989, Dr. Richard R. John was named Director of the Volpe Center. He has served with distinction in this high-profile position. As Center Director he promoted a strategic vision of the transportation enterprise together with the highest concept of public service. He emphasized the Volpe Center's critical role in helping the nation achieve its transportation goals in the areas of safety, mobility, global connectivity, environmental stewardship, security, and organizational excellence.
Dr. John was twice awarded the Presidential Distinguished Executive Award, the highest commendation available to Senior Executive Service members of the federal government. This award recognizes "sustained extraordinary accomplishment" and "celebrates career executives who are strong leaders and who consistently demonstrate strength, integrity, industry, and relentless commitment to public service."
In 1992, President George H. W. Bush acknowledged Dr. John for being a "world leader in automotive industry analysis," and for conceiving, planning and implementing a ground transportation engineering capability at the Center, which had been focused solely on advancing electronics research. His leadership enabled the Department of Transportation (DOT) to carry out its role and statutory responsibilities in enforcing congressionally mandated fuel economy relations, in participating in the Chrysler Loan Guarantee Act, and in early assessments of the declining global competitiveness of the U.S. automotive industry.
President Clinton recognized Dr. John in 2000 for his demonstrated creativity and strong personal commitment to promoting the importance of technological innovation in shaping transportation systems to meet America's needs in the next century. Dr. John provided the leadership necessary to direct a world-class transportation systems center while also building coalitions across the diverse transportation community. He reached out to and partnered with state, local, and international governments and non-DOT federal agencies in order to assist them with their transportation challenges.
Dr. John's significant contributions to the Center, the DOT, and to the transportation enterprise span four decades. His tenure at the Center coincides closely with the DOT's own evolution. He is recognized for anticipating and effectively responding to the changing times and shifting priorities of the Department.
During his tenure as Director, the Center solidified its role as an innovative and flexible organization dedicated to addressing critical transportation issues from a systems perspective. Dr. John has fostered a vision of the Center as a key link between the rapidly changing domain of technology and the real-world transportation community to further the goals and achievements of the nation's transportation system. He has achieved this, in part, through his active participation in national scientific committees and sponsorship of symposiums, conferences, and lectures at the Center. He has encouraged Center staff to cultivate an awareness of the interrelationships between transportation and society, understanding that for a change to the transportation system to be an improvement, its development must take into account political, technical, operational, societal, economic, institutional, and environmental issues.
Though Dr. John steps down from his role as Director, he continues to dedicate himself to the Center's work. In his own words, "While I am proud of what this Center has accomplished we have much more to do. I have no doubt that we will continue to respond to new opportunities, meet future challenges, make a difference and, most important, make the world a better place."
Dr. John will continue in his service to the Volpe Center, the Research and Special Programs Administration, and the Department of Transportation and remains committed to the shared goal of Safer, Simpler, Smarter Transportation Solutions.
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