Harrisburg, PA – Governor Josh Shapiro has presented a group of employees from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) with Governor’s Awards for Excellence in recognition of their response to a record-breaking winter storm in November 2024.
When a record-breaking storm dropped several feet of snow on Erie County during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2024, it took the work of more than 250 people across several state agencies to respond. Over many days, the region was hit with between three and seven feet of snow, with snowfall rates of several inches per hour. Staff and equipment were mobilized from every PennDOT district to Erie County to assist in keeping PennDOT’s 2,000+ lane miles traversable, and PennDOT worked closely with the City of Erie and Erie County government to assist with clearing the locally owned network as well.
After nine days of active incident management, Erie County PennDOT employees worked nearly 170 continuous hours. PennDOT’s Area Command Center in Harrisburg was also mobilized for this entire period, with staff working around the clock. PennDOT staff conducted daily press conferences from its Emergency Operations Center, and PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll was on the ground in Erie County for several days assisting with the response and agency coordination.
“The dedication of the PennDOT team under incredibly challenging circumstances cannot be overstated,” said Carroll. “The Thanksgiving storm of 2024 is just one more example of how PennDOT shows up for the traveling public every day: no matter where, no matter when.”
The honorees are based in District 1, PennDOT’s northwest PA regional office, and PennDOT’s central office in Harrisburg:
- Aaron Fox, Assistant District Executive for Maintenance, PennDOT District 1
- Jesse Williams, Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager, PennDOT District 1
- Kurt Dowler, Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager, PennDOT District 1
- Easton Ray, Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager, PennDOT District 1
- David Donikowski, Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager, PennDOT District 1
- Timothy Scott, Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager, PennDOT District 1
- Todd Saltsman, Highway Equipment Manager 2, PennDOT District 1
- James Shaut, Senior Highway Maintenance Manager
- Lindsay Sipes, Roadway Programs Coordinator, PennDOT District 1
- Dan Whetzel, Highway Administration Program Manager 1, PennDOT Central Office
- Monica Wesner, Roadway Programs Manager 1, PennDOT Central Office
The Governor’s Awards for Excellence recognize exemplary job performance or service that reflects initiative, leadership, innovation and increased efficiency. The PennDOT team was among 99 employees from nine state agencies honored at a ceremony yesterday by Governor Shapiro for exceptional accomplishments in 2024.
Contact: Alexis Campbell, alecampbel@pa.gov or 717-783-8800
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