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If you have ever visited the offices of the Transportation Research Board

(TRB) in the National Academies’ Keck Center in Washington, D.C., you

may recall seeing row upon row of photographs of the Board’s Execu-

tive Committee Chairs—78 individuals who have served in that role from

1920 to 2014. On a wall around the corner from the Executive Committee

Chair gallery is a smaller group of portraits—eight of the nine men who have

served as the Board’s Executive Directors since its founding 94 years ago.

Caretakers and Change MakersThe Nine Leaders Who Built the Transportation Research BoardS U Z A N N E B . S C H N E I D E R

The author retired asAssociate ExecutiveDirector of TRB inSeptember 2013 after 27years in the ExecutiveOffice, guiding programoversight activities,report review, publica-tions, and communica-tions. She worked closelywith the Board’s eighthand ninth ExecutiveDirectors.

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Shaping the InstitutionThese nine individuals—engineers all—have shareda strong commitment to TRB and its mission, andeach has contributed to shaping the institution. Fourof these men, three in the Board’s first decade, couldbe described as “caretakers”—they provided leader-ship for a relatively short period of four or feweryears and then returned to the careers they had inter-rupted.

In contrast, the other five served 10 years or moreas Executive Director, capping their careers withtheir tenures, and their accomplishments were vitalto the building of TRB. Three of these “change mak-ers” rose through the ranks at the Board, while theother two came from outside.

The stories of these nine men, individually andcollectively, help tell the story of TRB—how it cameinto being, what gave it staying power, and how theprofound changes in transportation, society, andtechnology have contributed to its growth and evo-lution into the institution it is today. Telling some ofthis rich story now is timely, with the advent of atenth Executive Director in 2015.

Initial CaretakersThe story of TRB’s creation has been told many timesbefore. In a special issue of TR News marking the75th anniversary of TRB, L. G. (Gary) Byrd vividlyrecounted the background, organizations, and indi-viduals involved in establishing the National Advi-sory Board on Highway Research, as it was known atits founding on November 11, 1920, to provide amechanism for the exchange of information andresearch results about highway technology:

The founding fathers were early giants in thehighway community—leaders in the NationalResearch Council, professional societies, state

highway departments, the Bureau of PublicRoads, academia, and industry. (1, p. 7)

The founders included Anson Marston, Dean andDirector of the Engineering Department at Iowa StateCollege; Thomas H. MacDonald, a former student ofMarston’s and Chief of the U.S. Bureau of PublicRoads—the predecessor of the Federal HighwayAdministration; and several prominent individualsfrom state highway agencies, academia, the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers, and the American Asso-ciation of State Highway Officials (AASHO)—thepredecessor to the American Association of StateHighway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Flinn: Up and RunningThe National Research Council (NRC), establishedin 1916 as the operating arm of the nonprofitNational Academy of Sciences, became the institu-tional home of the new board. Its first director,referred to as Interim Executive Director, was AlfredD. Flinn, Vice Chairman of the Board’s ExecutiveCommittee and Vice Chairman of the NRC Divisionof Engineering. Through his NRC role, Flinn wasable to make the organizational and financialarrangements necessary to get the new board up andrunning. During his brief tenure, the Board’s officewas located in the Engineering Societies Building inNew York City.

Hatt: Setting FirstsIn July 1921, William K. Hatt was appointed Execu-tive Director. Professor of Civil Engineering andDirector of Testing Laboratories at Purdue University,Hatt requested a leave of absence from the universityto take on this new role.

Under his leadership, the Board held its first twoannual meetings, the first in January 1922 at theEngineering Societies Building. Attendance grewrapidly, from 30 participants at first to 273 regis-trants by 1924.

During Hatt’s tenure, the Board organized the firstsix technical committees, and the initial staff focusedon a survey of highway research. Hatt is creditedwith suggesting the creation of a highway researchinformation service—later accomplished under oneof his successors. The Bureau of Public Roads pro-vided the bulk of the funding for the Board.

Upham: Making ContactsWhen Hatt returned to Purdue in 1924, Charles M.Upham, former Chief Engineer of the North CarolinaState Highway Department, succeeded him. Upham,who served through 1927, focused on establishingrelationships with the state highway agencies and with

Thomas H. MacDonald,Chief of the Bureau ofPublic Roads, in 1939;nearly two decadesearlier he had helpedfound the NationalAdvisory Board onHighway Research.

W. K. Hatt, Executive Directorfrom 1921 to 1924.

Charles M. Upham,Executive Directorfrom 1924 to 1928.

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universities. Under his tenure, the Board appointed“contact men” from the states and universities—assembling a network of 45 state and 121 universityrepresentatives by the close of 1924.

The Board gained a new name, the HighwayResearch Board (HRB), in 1925, after a vote by theExecutive Committee. Upham resigned in 1928 tobecome Engineer–Director of the American RoadBuilders Association, the predecessor of the Ameri-can Road and Transportation Builders Association.

Crum Takes the HelmBuilding on the work of the three caretakers who pre-ceded him, “idea man” Roy W. Crum took over asExecutive Director in 1928; this first change makeras HRB director served 23 years, until his death in1951. A graduate of Anson Marston’s engineeringprogram at Iowa State, Crum had served on the fac-ulty, as well as at the Iowa Engineering ExperimentStation and at the Iowa State Highway Commission.

During his tenure as the Board’s Executive Direc-tor—the longest yet—Crum focused on buildingHRB’s capabilities and its reputation in fulfilling itscore missions: identifying national highway researchneeds, correlating research efforts to enhance effi-ciency and avoid unnecessary duplication, and dis-seminating the results of highway research.

In his first annual report to the Board’s ExecutiveCommittee, Crum summarized these key elements ofHRB’s mission and noted:

In a broad sense, the object of this institution isto make itself helpful in any way possible in thesolution of the many problems that con-front the builders and the users of the high-ways. . . . We hope as time goes on tobroaden the scope and influence of theBoard. (2, p. 40)

Information and CooperationUnder Crum’s leadership, the Board’s pro-gram, technical studies, and staff expanded.Byrd notes that one of Crum’s first actswas to request funding for a highwayresearch information clearinghouse (1,p. 12); in 1931 the Highway ResearchAbstracts newsletter series was initiated.This laid the groundwork for whatbecame the Highway Research Informa-tion Service in the 1960s and later the mul-timodal, international TransportationResearch Information Services (TRIS) andTransportation Research Information Docu-mentation (TRID). For many years, Fred

Burggraf, who joined the Board in 1929 and becameResearch Engineer in 1931, handled the Abstractsseries.

Other highlights of Crum’s tenure included thefollowing:

u Reorganization of the committees into six areasof research—Administration and Finance, Trans-portation, Highway Design, Materials and Con-struction, Maintenance, and Traffic;

u Cooperation with AASHO in conducting andmaintaining a highway research census, HighwayResearch, 1920–1940, enumerating approximately1,300 projects;

u Initiation of a cooperative project with theBureau of Public Roads on highway safety research;

u Establishment of a joint committee with theAmerican Road Builders Association on the devel-opment of equipment for constructing stabilizedroads;

u Initiation of fees for member organizations;u Creation of the Highway Research Correlation

Service in 1945, the basis for much of today’s coreprogram, with the support of the Bureau of PublicRoads and AASHO—41 states provided funds forthe initial year of the service, which launched thecontinuing program of staff field visits to state andother research agencies;

u Publication of wartime bulletins addressingtransportation issues specific to World War II; afterthe war, these evolved into the Current Road Problemsseries; and

Roy W. Crum,Executive Directorfrom 1928 to 1951.

Fred Burggraf,Executive Directorfrom 1951 to 1964.

During World War II,the HighwayResearch Boardpublished a series ofbulletins focusing ontransportationrelated to the wareffort; after the war,the publicationsbecame the CurrentRoad Problemsseries.

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u Publication of the first Highway Capacity Man-ual in 1949—apparently HRB lacked sufficient fundsto publish the first edition, because the GovernmentPrinting Office handled the publication and sale.

Three HeritagesCrum’s emphasis was on building a strong organiza-tion and partnerships with the states, federal gov-ernment, and industry. In a tribute after Crum’s deathin 1951, MacDonald identified “three heritages” fromthe HRB Executive Director (2, p. 69):

u An organization grown from nine committeesand 81 members to 80 committees and 758 members,

u A five-foot-high shelf of the finest in highwayresearch publications, and

u The concept that highway research is a con-tinuing, unfolding process and that new participantsshould be encouraged to share in the activity year byyear.

Burggraf: Extending the VisionBurggraf, who succeeded Crum, served as HRB Exec-utive Director from 1951 until 1964. A graduate ofGeorge Washington University, Burggraf had workedat the National Bureau of Standards and the IllinoisDivision of Highways. He joined the HRB staff in1928 and left in 1932 for a position at the CalciumChloride Association. He rejoined the Board in 1940as Research Engineer, was named Assistant Directorin 1941, and was promoted to Associate Director in1945.

Major developments during Burggraf’s tenure inthe 1950s included the initiation of an importantseries of controlled road tests of pavement perfor-mance, administered by HRB. Burggraf himself hadparticipated in the first such test, the Bates Road Test,while he was a research engineer with the Illinoishighway department.

The road test projects—culminating in the $27million AASHO Road Test in 1955—expanded HRB’srole and staff. William N. Carey, Jr., who had joinedHRB in 1946 and later became Executive Assistant tothe Director, served as Project Engineer on the West-ern Association of State Highway Officials (WASHO)Road Test and then as Chief Engineer on the AASHORoad Test.

Growth and ExpansionAreas for research also were expanding—among theemerging topics were metropolitan area traffic andtransportation planning, highway law, urban pas-senger transportation, highway taxes, and tolling.The passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956,which established the Highway Trust Fund and setin motion the construction of the nation’s vast net-work of Interstate highways, produced new chal-lenges.

Growth was evident during Burggraf’s tenure—committee membership nearly doubled from 655 in1951 to 1,255 in 1963, and Annual Meeting atten-dance almost tripled—from 850 to 2,443. Thedemand for lecture and committee rooms at theAnnual Meeting led to a shift in location in 1956 tothe Sheraton Park Hotel—now the Marriott Ward-man Park Hotel—and a few years later to expansionto the nearby Shoreham Hotel—now the OmniShoreham.

W. N. Carey (left) workedwith Burggraf (right) andA. C. Benkelman (center)on the AASHO Road Test.Benkelman developedthe Benkelman beam ordeflector beam, anondestructive, portabletester for pavements.

After stepping down asExecutive Director in1966, D. Grant Mickle(center) returned to chairthe HRB ExecutiveCommittee in 1970. AlanM. Voorhees, 1972Executive CommitteeChair, is at left, and 1971Chair Charles E. Shumateat right.

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Cooperative ResearchA staff-authored report published in 1959, HighwayResearch in the United States: Needs, Expenditures, andApplications, made the case that research was notkeeping pace with the states’ needs. The report laidthe groundwork for a new program, the NationalCooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP),established in 1962 through a three-party agreementamong NRC, the Bureau of Public Roads, andAASHO, and administered by HRB.

Approximately $3 million was provided to thenew program of problem-solving, contract researchon topics selected by the state agencies and guidedby expert panels. The success of this model led to sig-nificant growth in the size of the Board’s staff and vol-unteer base and in the range of subject matteraddressed, as well as to a series of similar cooperativeprograms of research administered by the Board forother transport modes.

Other accomplishments during Burggraf’s direc-torship included establishment of the HighwayResearch Information Service (HRIS), a clearing-house for highway research results; growth in publi-cations, specialty conferences, and requests forinformation; and creation of an industry category ofmembership, recognizing that highway industry representatives accounted for almost one-third ofcommittee membership and Annual Meeting regis-trations. An Industry Dinner in 1961 attracted 100highway industry leaders, and approximately 25industries became affiliates at a fee of $1,000.

Mickle: Expanding OutreachD. Grant Mickle became Executive Director whenBurggraf retired in 1964. A civil engineer, Mickle hadworked for the Massachusetts Department of PublicWorks, the Michigan Department of State Highways,and the City of Detroit. He had directed the trafficengineering division of the Automotive Safety Foun-dation from 1943 until 1961, when he was namedthe first Deputy Federal Highway Administrator.

During his nearly three years as HRB ExecutiveDirector, Mickle focused on expanding financial sup-port and industry outreach, as well as on public infor-mation activities. In a report to the ExecutiveCommittee, he noted that a survey of industry lead-ers provided “some cogent and illuminating answers”to help “increase our service to the Board’s presentindustrial members and hopefully to attract otherindustries to join with us in a common effort toachieve the finest possible highway transportation sys-tem” (2, p. 83). During Mickle’s tenure, the ExecutiveCommittee also authorized creation of a Special Com-mittee on International Activities to foster interna-tional research exchange and coordination.

Carey: Moving to MultimodalMickle resigned in 1966 to return to the AutomotiveSafety Foundation as Vice President; a few years later,in 1970, he chaired the HRB Executive Committee asPresident of the Highway Users Federation for Safetyand Mobility. Succeeding Mickle as Executive Direc-tor was longtime HRB staff member Carey.

A civil engineering graduate of the University ofMinnesota, Carey had worked in cement researchand on airport construction before joining the Boardin 1946. After service as Executive Assistant to theDirector, Project Engineer for the WASHO Road Test,and Chief Engineer for Research on the AASHO RoadTest, he became HRB Assistant Director in 1962 andDeputy Executive Director in 1964.

New ScopeEarly in Carey’s tenure, a Special Committee onLong-Range Planning, appointed during Mickle’sterm, reported its findings and recommendations tothe Executive Committee. The Executive Committeeapproved a new statement of purpose and scope forthe Board, which was subsequently approved by theDivision of Engineering and the NRC GoverningBoard:

Purpose—The purpose of the Board is to advanceknowledge concerning the nature and perfor-mance of transportation systems, through thestimulation of research and dissemination ofinformation derived therefrom.

Scope—The Board will give attention to all fac-tors pertinent to the understanding, devising,

D. Grant Mickle,Executive Directorfrom 1964 to 1966.

W. N. Carey, Jr.,Executive Directorfrom 1966 to 1980.

Carey (center), shownconferring at an HRBAnnual Meeting,helped guide HRBthrough its transition toa multimodalorganization.

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and functioning of highway andurban transportation systems andtheir interrelationships with otheraspects of total transportation. It willconcern itself with the planning,design, construction, operation,maintenance, and safety of facilitiesand their components; the econom-ics, financing, and administration ofthe systems; and their interactionswith the physical, economic, legal,and social environment they are designed toserve. (2, p. 89)

As Byrd noted, the new statement made clear that“the interests of HRB committees and sponsors wereextending beyond highway transportation, and it sig-naled the Board’s intention to ultimately become amultimodal organization” (1, p. 18). With his back-ground and reputation in the highway field, Careywas well positioned to lead this charge.

Filling a GapIn a spring 1974 HRB News Brief, Carey noted thatthe Long-Range Planning Committee had reportedthat “in the field of transportation outside of high-ways, there is no organization that performs the samefunctions as the Highway Research Board.” Further,the committee had recommended that the Boardattempt to fill this gap by changing its name to theTransportation Research Board and broadening itsscope accordingly. Because of the concerns of high-way sponsors, however, the change was delayed untilfunding from nonhighway transportation sourcescould be assured.

Carey cited a “major step forward”: the UrbanMass Transportation Administration (UMTA)—nowthe Federal Transit Administration—recently had

signed on as a financial sponsor, enablingthe appointment of a staff transit spe-cialist, the establishment of relevantcommittees, and the coverage of transitresearch in HRB programs, publications,and information services. In addition,

support from UMTA and several other federal DOTagencies had allowed the expansion of the Board’scomputer-based information services to include mar-itime, railroad, and urban mass transportation.

Broadened ConstituencyThe transformation of HRB into TRB was propelled bythe growing recognition among state highway agen-cies—and HRB committees—that their missions werebecoming multimodal, as well as by internal develop-ments at NRC. Almost half of the state highwaydepartments already had evolved into or become partsof state departments of transportation, and in 1973,AASHO changed its name and its constitution toreflect that change.

That same year, NRC reorganized into four divi-sions, with HRB assigned to the new Commission onSociotechnical Systems. Discussions explored thecreation of a new transportation research divisionwithin the commission, including HRB along withseparate maritime and air boards. The HRB Execu-tive Committee and state and federal sponsors, how-ever, expressed concerns about such a segregation oftransportation activities and unanimously recom-mended a new name and expanded scope for theBoard. In March 1974, NRC approved the change ofname to the Transportation Research Board and

Thomas B. Deen,Executive Directorfrom 1980 to 1994.

Under Deen’s tenure, theNational Research Councilelevated TRB to a majordivision; the Board alsobroadened its sources offinancial support.

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In a 1974 edition of HR News, Careywrote about the decision to changeHRB’s name—and mission— to theTransportation Research Board.

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broadened the scope to include highway, rail, air,marine, and urban mass transportation activities.

During the remaining years of Carey’s tenure, thefocus was on consolidating the Board’s new respon-sibilities; adding new sponsors, committees, andstaff; and reaching out to the significantly broadenedconstituency.

Deen: Upping the AnteWhen Thomas B. Deen was appointed Carey’s suc-cessor in 1980, TRB was 60 years old, with an estab-lished mission, a respected parent organization andstaff, engaged sponsors, and a large and growingbody of volunteers who contributed to and relied onits functions and services. Deen was an outsider,president of the internationally known transporta-tion consulting firm, Alan M. Voorhees Associates.

That Deen would relinquish a prestigious leader-ship position to take on the directorship of TRB asthe capstone to an already distinguished career wasa testimony to the stature that TRB had gained in thefield. Deen has written engagingly about that deci-sion in an article, “The Transportation ResearchBoard at 90: Everyone Loves It, but No One CanExplain Why” (3).

A civil engineering graduate of the University ofKentucky, Deen had pursued advanced studies at theUniversity of Chicago and at Yale University’s Bureauof Highway Traffic. Before joining Voorhees Associ-ates, he directed the Nashville Area TransportationStudy and served as Director of Planning for theNational Capital Transportation Agency, whichdeveloped the initial plans for the Washington, D.C.,Metrorail system.

Early in his tenure, Deen implemented a set ofmeasures to restore fiscal discipline during a periodwhen rampant inflation was threatening the sustain-ability of TRB programs. He also worked aggressivelyto bring in new financial sponsors, as well as to main-tain support from existing sponsors. Within NRC,Deen strove to gain increased respect from the Acad-emies’ leadership and support for TRB programs.

Introducing Policy StudiesThese efforts paid off in 1982 with the elevation ofTRB from a unit operating within a division into oneof the major program divisions of NRC. As part ofthis move, TRB—like the other NRC program divi-sions—would be required to conduct policy studies.The TRB Executive Committee created two sub-committees to oversee these new responsibilities—aSubcommittee for NRC Oversight, to provide liaisonbetween TRB and the NRC Governing Board; and tomonitor the policy study process, a Subcommittee onPolicy Review—later expanded in scope as the Sub-

committee on Planning and Policy Review.TRB’s entry into the policy study arena required

organizational changes and new hires and challengedvolunteers, sponsors, and staff to see the Board’s mis-sion in a new light. Some believed that the conductof studies on complex, often controversial, nationaltransportation policy issues would alienate sponsorsconcerned about whether the outcome of a studymight be prejudicial to their interests. As the pro-gram developed, however, such fears were put torest; the move into policy studies helped attract newTRB sponsors and contributors.

From the first five policy studies mandated byCongress in 1982, the Board has conducted morethan 130 on a variety of topics in response to requestsfrom Congress, federal or state agencies, or the Exec-utive Committee. An independent committee,appointed in accordance with rigorous NRC proce-dures, carries out each study. The Board’s policystudy work has enhanced its stature and influencewithin the national transportation community.

Strategic ResearchIn 1982, Deen recommended a proposal, adopted bythe Executive Committee, that TRB initiate a strate-gic study to assess the need for fundamental highwayresearch in areas with the potential for yieldingbreakthroughs. The 1984 report, America’s Highways:Accelerating the Search for Innovation, led to the estab-lishment of the first Strategic Highway Research Pro-gram (SHRP)—a $150 million, 5-year program ofhighly focused research that yielded cost-effectiveinnovations in areas including asphalt materials,pavement performance, concrete bridge protection,and snow and ice control. The U.S. Congress fundedthe program, which was housed within NRC.

Another strategic study recommended the cre-ation of a cooperative research program for transit,modeled on NCHRP. The Transit Cooperative

The first SHRP, like SHRP 2, relied on closecollaboration with theAmerican Association ofState Highway andTransportation Officialsand with the U.S.Department ofTransportation.

Deen’s proposal for ahighly focused researchprogram—outlined inSpecial Report 202,America’s Highways:Accelerating the Searchfor Innovation—led tothe historic andproductive first StrategicHighway ResearchProgram.

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Research Program (TCRP) was established in 1992,toward the end of Deen’s tenure. Several other simi-larly structured cooperative research programs fol-lowed. Under Deen’s leadership, TRB also undertookthe Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis(IDEA) programs, which support research intopromising but unproved innovations for highways,transportation safety, transit, and more.

With his strong service orientation, Deen also ini-tiated a strategic planning process that engagedmembers of the Executive Committee, other volun-teer leaders, sponsors, committee members, and staffin a structured assessment of TRB’s mission, goals,services, constituencies, and resources and in theidentification of emerging challenges and opportu-nities. The strategic planning process, with manylater refinements, continues and has led to manybeneficial actions and activities.

Enhancements and AdvancementsBeginning in 1988, Executive Committee memberswere engaged by another Deen invention—specialpolicy discussion sessions during the semiannualmeetings. Nicknamed “red meat” sessions, the dis-cussions have afforded the opportunity to explore anemerging issue of choice with guest speakers andcolleagues. The popularity of these sessions contin-ues; some have led to TRB studies, conferences, andother activities.

The size and scope of TRB programs grew signif-icantly during Deen’s 14-year tenure. The Board’sannual budget increased from $9 million to $35 mil-lion, and attendance at the Annual Meeting rose from4,000 to 7,000. New sponsors came on board—including federal agencies and industry associations;committee and conference activities flourished; and

the publications output surged. TRB accomplishedthis growth while enhancing its ties to its veteranpartners—the state and federal transportation agen-cies and transportation research institutions.

Skinner: Building for the FutureRobert E. Skinner, Jr., became Executive Directorfollowing Deen’s retirement in 1994. Skinner joinedTRB in 1983 in the new division conducting the firstround of congressionally mandated policy studies.He served as study director for the studies on geo-metric design standards for highway resurfacing,restoration, and rehabilitation projects and on theeffects of twin trailer trucks.

In 1986, he was appointed Director of the Stud-ies and Information Services Division, supervisingthe conduct of more than 30 policy studies, and over-seeing the management of TRB’s information ser-vices, library, and synthesis reports unit. Skinnerearned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering fromthe University of Virginia and a master of sciencedegree in civil engineering from the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology. Before joining TRB, he wasa Vice President at PRC Voorhees, directing plan-ning and research studies for local, state, and federalagencies.

Strengthening and SustainingThe size and scope of TRB continued to grow duringSkinner’s tenure—the annual budget rose from $35million to $113 million, and Annual Meeting atten-dance climbed from 7,000 to 12,300. Under Skinner’sleadership, TRB strengthened the multimodal andmultidisciplinary range of its programs, inauguratedmajor communications initiatives, fostered interna-tional research partnerships and coordination, and

Robert E. Skinner, Jr.,Executive Directorfrom 1994 to 2015.

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Skinner delivers his firstExecutive Director’sreport to the TRBExecutive Committee inJanuary 1994, flanked byExecutive CommitteeVice Chair Lillian C.Borrone and Chair JosephM. Sussman. The size andscope of the TRB AnnualMeeting expanded underSkinner’s tenure—attendance grew from7,000 to 12,300.

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worked proactively to enhance the diversity of theBoard’s committees, programs, and staff.

In a period of constrained federal and state agencybudgets, Skinner guided a TRB-wide effort to achievecost efficiencies and raise additional revenue, whileavoiding the need to cut vital services. He main-tained strong relationships with longtime state andfederal DOT sponsors, nurtured new relationships,and earned the admiration of National Academies’leadership for his effective management of the NRC’slongest-continuing unit.

Portfolio of AchievementsHighlights of these and other accomplishments dur-ing Skinner’s 21-year tenure as Executive Directorinclude the following:

u Creation of the Airport Cooperative ResearchProgram in 2005, with funding by the Federal Avia-tion Administration. This applied research program,modeled on NCHRP and TCRP, addresses problemsshared by airport operating agencies. Reauthorized in2012, the program has produced more than 250reports in a variety of series and was funded atapproximately $15.0 million in Fiscal Year 2014. Sev-eral smaller cooperative research programs—infreight, rail, and hazardous materials transporta-tion—also were initiated during Skinner’s tenure.

u Establishment of a second Strategic HighwayResearch Program (SHRP 2), authorized by Congressin 2005, to address some of the most pressing needsrelating to the nation’s highway system. Funded atmore than $230 million and managed by TRB, theprogram includes the largest-ever naturalistic drivingstudy, along with research focused on renewal, traveltime reliability, and ways to speed the delivery of

projects that can increase highway capacity. With theprogram’s expected completion in 2015, additionalwork is focusing on ways to ensure timely imple-mentation of the research results.

u Continuing strong support of TRB by stateDOT sponsors, as contributors to the Board’s coreprograms and to NCHRP, as participants on com-mittees and panels, and as users and proponents ofTRB products and services. In 2013, almost 800 stateDOT employees were members of TRB standingcommittees, and some 1,550 were serving on panelsof the Cooperative Research Programs.

u Initiation of the free, weekly TransportationResearch E-Newsletter, which reports on transporta-tion research and research-related events within TRBand beyond; the popular webinar series, which dis-seminates information on TRB reports, Annual Meet-ing sessions, and topics requested by TRBcommittees; a redesigned website; and a variety ofsocial media activities. More than 50,000 subscribeto the e-newsletter worldwide.

u Signed agreements with prominent interna-tional organizations to coordinate research, cospon-sor activities, and explore partnerships. In amultiyear project, TRB is partnering with the Euro-pean Union to conduct a series of four conferenceson transportation research issues of common inter-est. Professionals from several other countries haveworked at TRB as loan staff for SHRP 2 and otherprograms. In 2011, TRIS records were combinedwith those of the International Transport ResearchDocumentation to launch the TRID database of morethan 1 million records available free on the web.

u Steadily increasing participation by women andmembers of minority groups in TRB committeeactivities and leadership, on staff, and in other roles.

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in 1995 by reporter SylviaChase for ABC’s PrimeTime Live. Skinnerworked to promotetransportation researchand to raise the profileof TRB.

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With Skinner’s leadership, staff and volunteers builton efforts begun during Deen’s directorship toenhance diversity in all aspects of the Board’s work.Of the 21 TRB Executive Committee chairs from1995 to 2014, seven have been women and two havebeen African Americans (one also a woman). Recentinitiatives that support this continuing goal includethe TRB Minority Student Fellows Program and theYoung Members Council.

u Continued growth in Annual Meeting atten-dance and paper submissions; initiation of a com-mercial exhibit at the meeting; and inauguration ofweb and electronic meeting apps. To accommodategrowth, the Annual Meeting has moved to a newvenue, the Washington, D.C., Convention Center,starting in January 2015.

u A reorganization of the Technical ActivitiesCouncil in 2004 added the volunteer leaders of eachof the modal groups—public transportation, rail,freight systems, aviation, and marine. Recently a stateDOT representative and a representative of the YoungMembers Council were added. The Marine Board,transferred to TRB from another NRC division in1999, has made significant contributions to TRB’sportfolio—for example, an upswing in marine-related policy study requests from a variety of spon-sors, some new to TRB.

Skinner will retire, after serving more than 20years as Executive Director, at the end of January2015.

Making a DifferenceThe nine men who led the Board from its beginningsin 1920 to the present have been at the center of the

transportation research enterprise in the UnitedStates and beyond. Caretakers and change makersalike, they shared a vision of the difference thatresearch can make. But as Skinner has observed in anarticle, “Ten Theses About Transportation Research,”research is a means, not an end; the ultimate goal isinnovation (4).

The implementation of better, more cost-effec-tive materials and processes can enhance people’smobility, increase safety, benefit the economy, andimprove the quality of life. But transportation rarelymakes the headlines, and research is even less glam-orous.

Effectively, and each in his own way, these nineindividuals were spokesmen and champions for whattransportation research can accomplish—and facili-tators of the dialogue, coordination, fundraising,study, and dissemination needed to make goodthings happen. We celebrate their successes and lookforward to the contributions that Neil Pedersen willmake as TRB’s tenth director in addressing this con-tinuing, vital challenge.

References1. Byrd, L. G. Transportation Research Board: The First

Seventy-Five Years. TR News, No. 182, January–February1996, pp. 7–37. www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/157501.aspx.

2. Ideas and Actions: A History of the Highway ResearchBoard, 1920–1970. Highway Research Board, NationalResearch Council, Washington, D.C., 1971.

3. Deen, T. B. The Transportation Research Board at 90:Everybody Loves It, but No One Can Explain Why, TRNews, No. 271, November–December 2010, pp. 7–10.www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/164641.aspx.

4. Skinner, R. E., Jr. Ten Theses About TransportationResearch. TR News, No. 189, May–June 1997, pp. 3–5.

In 2011, the Texas A&MTransportation Institute(TTI) awarded Skinnerthe Director’s ResearchChampion Award; (left to right:) DennisChristiansen of TTI,Skinner, Dianne Skinner,Herbert Richardson ofTTI, and John Horsley ofAASHTO.

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: TTI

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After a national search, Neil J. Pedersen, former Administra-tor of the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA)

and past Chair of the TRB Executive Committee, was selected asthe 10th Executive Director of TRB, effective February 1, 2015.Pedersen has served as Deputy Director of the second StrategicHighway Research Program (SHRP 2) since 2012.

TRB’s new staff leader has more than 38 years of experiencein the transportation profession. For 29 years, he held manage-ment and leadership positions at the Maryland Department ofTransportation’s SHA, including chief executive officer for morethan eight years. A native of Massachusetts, Pedersen earnedbachelor’s degrees in civil engineering and urban studies fromBucknell University and a master’s degree incivil engineering from Northwestern Uni-versity. He began his career as a consultantin transportation planning, working first forR. H. Pratt Associates and then for JHK andAssociates. He managed projects rangingfrom travel demand forecasting to transitalternatives analyses and toll road feasibil-ity studies.

In December 1982, he joined MarylandSHA as Deputy Director of the Office ofPlanning and Preliminary Engineering; in1984, he was promoted to office director. InJuly 2000, he was appointed DeputyAdministrator for Planning and Engineer-ing, with responsibility for SHA’s planning,environmental, engineering, and real estateactivities. In January 2003, he was namedAdministrator, serving as principal adviserto the Governor and the Secretary of Trans-portation on highway-related matters and providing strategicleadership to an agency of 3,200 employees who plan, design,construct, maintain, and operate Maryland’s 5,200-mile statehighway network and 2,500 bridges.

Pedersen also exercised oversight for Maryland’s highwaysafety and motor carrier programs, and he led the delivery of thestate’s two megaprojects—the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and theIntercounty Connector. Throughout his tenure, Pedersenremained technically engaged in the science and art of planningand engineering while providing highly effective managementand leadership, often in a politically charged context.

For the American Association of State Highway and Trans-portation Officials (AASHTO), Pedersen chaired the Task Forceon Context-Sensitive Solutions and served as Vice Chair of theStanding Committee on Highways and of the Subcommittee onAsset Management. He also was a member of AASHTO’s Stand-ing Committee on Research and the Standing Committee onPlanning.

Before joining the TRB staff, Pedersen was active as a TRB vol-

unteer for more than 30 years, serving on a variety of commit-tees and panels. He is a past chair of the Technical ActivitiesCouncil and of the SHRP 2 Technical Coordinating Committeefor Capacity Research. He also served as a member of the Exec-utive Committee’s Subcommittee on Planning and Policy Reviewand on the National Cooperative Highway Research ProgramProject Panel on Research for the AASHTO Standing Committeeon Highways. In addition, he is an Emeritus Member of the TRBStatewide Multimodal Transportation Planning Committee.

Among his honors, Pedersen has received the George S.Bartlett Award (2006), the Road Gang’s Lester P. Lamm Award(2005), the Planner of the Year Award from the Maryland Chap-

ter of the American Planning Association(1997), AASHTO’s Intermodal Award(1994), and the Community Service Awardof the Institute of Transportation Engineers’Baltimore–Washington Chapter (1992).

Pedersen will work closely with RobertE. Skinner, Jr., who is retiring at the end ofJanuary after more than 30 years of serviceto the National Academies.

“Neil has taken on virtually every vol-unteer leadership role TRB has to offer, withgreat success, and as a TRB staff memberhas helped move SHRP 2 products fromresearch into practice,” Skinner commented.“I will be leaving TRB in good hands.”

“The Academies’ Presidents—RalphCicerone, Dan Mote, and Victor Dzau—joinme in congratulating Neil on his new posi-tion and in thanking Bob Skinner for hisoutstanding service to the National Research

Council,” said Bruce B. Darling, Executive Officer of the NationalAcademy of Sciences (NAS) and National Research Council(NRC) and chair of the search committee. “We look forward toNeil’s leadership on critical transportation issues for the nationand for the profession.”

TRB Executive Committee Chair Kirk Steudle noted that themembers of the search committee “interviewed extraordinary can-didates” and “concluded that Neil is the best choice to take TRBforward.” In addition to Steudle, members of the search commit-tee included Deborah H. Butler, former Chair of the TRB Execu-tive Committee and current member; Susan Hanson (NAS),Executive Committee member and Chair of the Subcommittee forNRC Oversight; Jeff Paniati, Executive Director of the FederalHighway Administration; Mike Walton (NAE), past TRB Execu-tive Committee Chair and former SNO Chair; Bud Wright,AASHTO Executive Director; Audrey Mosley, NAS and NRC Gen-eral Counsel; Peter Blair, Executive Director of the NRC Divisionon Engineering and Physical Sciences; and Gregory Symmes, Exec-utive Director of the NRC Division on Earth and Life Studies.

Pedersen Named TRB Executive Director

Neil J. Pedersen