Montoursville, PA –At a ceremony in Harrisburg today, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll recognized 31 PennDOT employees for their outstanding performance with the Star of Excellence Award, PennDOT's highest recognition. Two employees from PennDOT's District 3 which represents, Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Sullivan, Snyder, Union, and Tioga counties were among the honorees.
"I'm continually impressed by the hard work and dedication of the PennDOT team," Secretary Carroll said. "These folks work tirelessly each day to provide safe and efficient transportation for Pennsylvania's residents."
Carroll and other department executives honored winners Sheena Shannon and Dale Wolf during an event held at the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
"I congratulate Sheena and Dale for earning PennDOT's highest recognition, the Star of Excellence Award," said Eric High, District Executive for PennDOT District 3. "Their exemplary performance is an example of the dedication they have to this organization and the residents of the commonwealth."
Sheena Shannon began her PennDOT career in District 3 in 2002 as a secondary school intern and has advanced her career to be a very experienced Clerical Assistant in our Construction Unit.
In her position, she coordinates unit travel arrangements and performs a wide range of clerical duties, including producing letters for signing, filing documents, organizing calendars, scheduling meetings, taking minutes, and reviewing District memorandums.
Beyond her normal duties, she serves as a back up to the District Executive's Administrative Assistant and assists the District's Training Coordinator. Sheena helps to train new clerical staff and assists in the completion of information and presentations for many special events within the District, including the Annual Legislative Contact briefings, Construction Winter School, District Innovations Committees, and District Safety Day Events. She is also the District's Travel Arranger Power User, providing training and assistance to other clerical staff.
A true team player, Sheena consistently volunteers to help in all areas. She serves in the District Incident Command Center at all hours during emergency and weather-related activations to ensure situational awareness and effective communication. She also served as a greeter during the public event held for the opening of the northern section of the Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation Project. In addition, she organizes several family events such as Santa Visits and Easter Egg hunts.
A dedicated employee, always willing to assist others, and work beyond normal work hours, Sheena was recognized in 2022 by her co-workers when she was selected as Employee of the Year. She is a respected and valued member of the District 3 team, coupling excellent clerical skills and experience with a positive, caring attitude and a desire to help her co-workers and the public.
Dale Wolf serves as an Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager with the Northumberland County Maintenance Organization in District 3. In this position, Dale is responsible for maintaining state-owned roadways in the southwestern portion of Northumberland County. In addition to his regular duties, he is responsible for the southern surface crew's daily operations. This includes managing the crew, scheduling, working with vendors, managing day-to-day operations, and responding to emergencies.
He is also responsible for leading the District's Acting Foreman Academy and Refresher trainings, which are essential trainings for future leaders of the District. In 2023, he worked with the Traffic Unit to develop a line painting calendar to ensure seal coated roadways receive traffic line painting in a timely manner.
Dale began his career with PennDOT in 2012 as a Temporary Transportation Equipment Operator and advanced through several positions, including acting foreman, full-time foreman in 2016, and manager in 2019. His experience, knowledge, and communication skills have allowed him to successfully work through complex and emergency issues that sometimes occur in our county maintenance operations while performing winter and summer operations.
A knowledgeable manager, Dale understands the value of mentoring, training, and teamwork in providing safe and quality operations. He is always willing to assist others and has well-developed interpersonal skills, allowing him to work effectively with his co-workers and our customers.
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, communications staff and design and engineering specialists.
For more information on PennDOT activities in Tioga, Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour and Columbia counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District3.
Contact: Maggie Baker, 570-368-4202 or magbaker@pa.gov
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