AASHTO Journal - NOCoE Names Three to Strategic Advisory Council

The National Operations Center of Excellence or NOCoE recently added three new members to its Strategic Advisory Council or SAC; a council that provides strategic oversight and direction for the organization.

The new members are Shanté Hastings (above at left), secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation; Tracy Larkin Thomason (above center), director of the Nevada Department of Transportation; and Dean Gustafson, vice president of mobility operations services for Iteris, Inc.

The appointments were made by Scott Marler, director of the Iowa Department of Transportation, who serves as the chair of NOCoE’s SAC.

NOCoE is a partnership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the Institute for Transportation Engineers, and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, with support from the Federal Highway Administration.

The unique mix of state, local, academic, and private sector representation is a key feature of NOCoE and ensures its ability to provide knowledge resources that effectively advance all aspects of Transportation Systems Management and Operations or TSMO.

Hastings, a 26-year veteran of the Delaware DOT, previously served as deputy secretary and chief engineer for the agency before becoming secretary. She has worked at Delaware DOT since graduating from the University of Delaware in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and has served on several AASHTO committees.

Named executive director of Nevada DOT over two years ago, Larkin Thomason previously served as the senior vice president of program development for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America. Prior to that, she spent more than 30 years working in various senior-level roles at Nevada DOT, including more than eight years as the deputy director.

Larkin Thomason holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has also served on several national committees and panels for National Academy of Sciences and AASHTO.

Finally, Gustafson has more than 31 years of experience in the transportation sector, spanning both the public and private sector, supporting state DOTs in the planning and designing stronger technology infrastructure systems that improve safety and mobility.

That experience includes employment with the Virginia Department of Transportation and the New York State Department of Transportation in a variety of operational, construction, technology, planning, and traffic engineering roles.