FHWA Cites Colorado, Others For Work on Civil Rights |
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Federal Highway Administration
August 25, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 25, 1998
Contact: Karen Whitney
Telephone: 202-366-0660
FHWA 35-98
DENVER -- The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today recognized the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) for increasing the representation of minorities and women in transportation and two FHWA employees for excellence in civil rights programs.
CDOT received a "Breaking the Glass Ceiling" award during the National Transportation Civil Rights Conference Aug. 24-26 in Denver and civil rights awards were presented to David S. Nelson, assistant division administrator for the FHWA’s Arizona Division office, and William Van Luchene, a transportation specialist in the agency’s Alabama Division.
"President Clinton and Secretary Slater are committed to promoting opportunities for all Americans, and we applaud the Colorado Department of Transportation for helping to carry out that commitment in the transportation industry," FHWA Administrator Kenneth R. Wykle said. "We are particularly pleased to honor the efforts of Dave and Bill, both of whom have demonstrated dedication and accomplishment in promoting civil rights."
CDOT was recognized for its success in increasing the representation of minorities and women in management and for promoting balance between family life and work activities through flexible work hours and workplace.
Nelson and Van Luchene received the agency’s Aleman-Parker Award for Excellence in Civil Rights. The award is named after Lucio Aleman Jr. and Jerry L. Parker, two FHWA employees who died in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995.
Three other awards also were presented during the conference: North Carolina A&T University received the agency’s Minority Institution of Higher Education Achievement Award; the Milwaukee-based Transportation Alliance for New Solutions received FHWA’s Civil Rights Partnership Award; and the Boston-based Northeast Women in Transportation (NEWIT) received the FHWA Civil Rights Showcase Award.
North Carolina A&T was cited for helping to prepare students through its Transportation Institute for careers in the transportation field. The Transportation Alliance was honored for developing a four-year-old pilot program that prepares women and minorities in Wisconsin for jobs in highway trades and occupations. NEWIT was recognized for promoting the use of On-the-Job Training Supportive Services to increase training and employment opportunities for women and minorities in highway construction.
Nelson, a 27-year veteran of the agency, has had assignments in California, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Washington, D.C. He was recognized for his work as an instructor with the Women in Highway Construction training program. He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Walla Walla College in Washington state, is married and has two sons.
Van Luchene has been with the agency for 23 years and is an environment and technology engineer in the Alabama Division office, where he is also responsible for working with the Alabama Department of Transportation on civil rights programs. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
This is the second time the Aleman-Parker Award was presented. The first was in 1996 to A. Graham Bailey, assistant division administrator of the FHWA’s Maine Division, and to Kenneth Ivy, program development engineer in the agency’s North Carolina Division office.
The FHWA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation.