Nominations now open for Mark of Excellence Award

Award recognizes outstanding efforts in advancing roadway safety through pavement markings

Nominations are now open for ATSSA’s 2021 Mark of Excellence Award, one of four national awards traditionally announced at the Association’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo.

The Mark of Excellence Award recognizes an ATSSA member who has shown professional integrity, dedication, involvement and outstanding performance in the advancement of roadway safety infrastructure through improved pavement markings.

Nominations come from members of the Pavement Marking Division and the Manufacturers & Suppliers Division. The deadline to submit nominations is Nov. 13. Full details on the criteria and process are also available.

The nominee need not be a member of either the Pavement Marking or Manufacturers and Suppliers Divisions, but must be a member of ATSSA or have been a member for at least 10 years and have advanced roadway safety infrastructure through improved pavement markings.

David Kuniega, chief chemist with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), received the 2020 Mark of Excellence Award.

Kuniega, now retired, was a longtime chair of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Subcommittee on Materials and longtime chair of the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) Pavement Marking Committee where he oversaw the annual accelerated pavement marking test decks many states use for Qualified Products List (QPL) acceptance. He also participated in ATSSA Pavement Marking Committee meetings where he provided detailed reports from his work at AASHTO and NTPEP.

ATSSA’s Annual Convention & Traffic Expo also traditionally includes recognition of the National Safety Award, National Media Award and the Industry Achievement Award.

Nomination forms for these awards are available on ATSSA’s Member and Industry Awards page.

The National Safety Award recognizes an employee or recent retiree of a government agency who made a significant contribution to the safety of our nation’s roadways. The nomination period closed on August.

Nominations for the National Media Award come from state departments of transportation (DOTs) in recognition of fair, balanced and informative reporting on transportation issues on radio, television, newspaper or on web. DOT employees are invited to nominate a reporter, news organization, blogger or freelancer. The nomination period runs through Oct. 8.

The Industry Achievement Award is the Association’s highest honor and is given to an ATSSA member who achieves distinction deemed worthy of special recognition. It honors members who have made significant contributions to ATSSA and left a mark on the roadway safety infrastructure industry. The nomination period runs from Oct. 4 to Nov. 28.

Those awards will be announced during ATSSA’s 52^nd Annual Convention & Traffic Expo in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 11-15.

In addition, the ATSS Foundation considers nominations for its Foundation Champion Award three times a year in conjunction with Foundation Board meetings (March, July and November). The awards are presented throughout the year.

The Foundation Champion Award recognizes individuals or entities that have demonstrated extraordinary efforts in supporting The Foundation’s core purpose of promoting roadway safety through charitable giving and public awareness programs. Through their unique combination of passion and skills, champions inspire others to get involved and give back to our industry.