At a ceremony yesterday, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll recognized 30 PennDOT employees for their outstanding performance with the Star of Excellence Award, PennDOT’s highest recognition. Two employees from PennDOT’s District 1, which represents Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties were among the honorees.
“Every day, I am reminded of our employees’ dedication, their excellent customer service, and in many cases, their sacrifices,” said Carroll. “The accomplishments of our Stars of Excellence exemplify PennDOT’s mission to provide the very best transportation services to Pennsylvanians every day.”
Local winners Edward “Ed” Orzehowski and Michele Mansfield were honored this afternoon at an awards luncheon at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg.
“Rarely does the public get a chance to see all the work that happens in the background to make construction projects happen. Michelle and Ed are great examples of the things our team members are doing every day, sometimes unnoticed by the communities we serve,” said Brian McNulty, District 1 Executive. “Their commitment to service ensures the success of their colleagues and is indispensable when it comes to meeting the needs of the public.”
As the Assistant District Traffic Engineer-Signals/ITS, Orzehowski serves as a liaison to municipalities. He is an expert on traffic signals and provides local governments a comprehensive overview of any new system to ensure they understand how it works, what to do if it goes down, and who to contact if there is a manufacturing issue. He continues to serve in this capacity as needed, including possible changes to the timing. His efforts help to keep travelers moving efficiently and save the local governments $60,000 to $96,000 a year.
He’s the team lead for District 1 when it comes to emerging technology in traffic signals, dynamic message boards, and traffic cameras. He continually challenges himself to learn about new technology, systems, and applications, such as Variable Speed Limit (VSL) signs.
Orzehowski voluntarily oversaw the traffic management planning for the Total Solar Eclipse that occurred in April 2024. He worked for about a year to coordinate efforts to prepare for an estimated influx of 250,000 travelers.
Orzehowski is a resident of Millcreek Township, Erie County with his wife, Jessica, and their children Conner and Lennon.
The high standards of Mansfield’s work have led to efficiency improvements that save valuable time for District 1 Construction leadership and project management teams.
She suggests and implements process improvements and assists coworkers and colleagues with correctly completing required paperwork in a timely manner. Her efforts of the past few years have included monitoring and updating the Construction Safety Bulletin Board, maintaining the District 1 Construction Project List website, and assisting with Northeast Center for Excellence in Pavement Technology (NECEPT) concrete and asphalt certifications.
She is a frontline employee in dealing with customer concerns and questions and handles them with professionalism and timeliness.
Mansfield consistently goes above and beyond performing her assigned duties and offering additional assistance wherever she can provide support to help drive District 1 and the Construction Unit forward.
Mansfield lives in Polk, Venango County with Mike Hanna and their children Zac and Rilee.
The Star of Excellence Awards are 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 and driver and vehicle services workers to traffic control specialists, engineers and more.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District1.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Jill Harry, jharry@pa.gov or 814-678-5035
