PennDOT Honors Star of Excellence Recipients

Agency Recognizes 27 Employees from Across State

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E. announced today that 27 employees received the agency's Star of Excellence Award, including seven from the central office and Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg.

Winners from across the state were honored this afternoon at an awards luncheon at the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg. The seven Harrisburg-area award winners are Robert Betz Jr., Daniel Bowers, Steven Chizmar, Elaine DiRienzo, Jonathan Fleming, Danielle Klinger and Mark Tobin.

"Each of these individuals is extremely dedicated to the mission to provide a first-rate transportation system," Biehler said. "They have found ways to do their jobs more efficiently and with excellent quality, despite staffing and fiscal constraints. We are so lucky and thankful to have them as members of the PennDOT team."

Betz is a senior civil engineer in the Bureau of Aviation. Recognized for his commitment to efficiency and constant willingness to take on tasks, he has provided valuable guidance to federal, state and local officials.

The implementation of a system that allows municipalities and PennDOT to review and manage documents and liquid-fuels reporting was completed with Bowers' oversight. Bowers, and auditor in the Bureau of Municipal Services, also helped to develop and conduct training for county and municipal officials using the system.

Chizmar is the deputy press secretary in PennDOT's central office. Credited as the driving force behind PennDOT's proactive communications, he provides supervision for the central and district press staff and is described as a creative, enthusiastic PennDOT team member.

DiRienzo was selected as PennDOT's agency open records officer for the Bureau of Office Services in the middle of the commonwealth's implementation of the new Right to Know Law program. She created processes and conducted training with all levels of department staff for this new, highly visible program.

Recognized as an incident-management expert, Fleming provides emergency management training to PennDOT staff, with frequent requests for additional training. A roadway programs manager in the Bureau of Maintenance and Operations, Fleming is also a dedicated public servant; he is an officer and responder with his local fire company.

As a community relations coordinator for Safety Administration, Klinger oversees communications for PennDOT's driver and vehicles services. She interacts with local, state and national media, manages internal and external communications and serves as Right-to-Know Law coordinator for PennDOT's Safety Administration.

Tobin, a transportation planning manager in the Center for Program Development and Management, and his team were key players in managing the $1.026 billion PennDOT received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. His direction within a compressed time schedule in 2009 helped Pennsylvania obligate all of the funds nearly two months ahead of the deadline.

The Star of Excellence Award is presented annually to employees who represent the department's values of service, performance and integrity. The recipients represent a variety of organizational positions, spanning from highway maintenance workers and programming specialists to communications staff and engineering supervisors.

Media contact: Erin Waters, 717-783-8800

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation