Organization represents all transportation modes, supports all state transportation agencies
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Mike Hancock has been elected President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing transportation agencies in the 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
AASHTO represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail and water. Its mission is to advocate for transportation-related policies and provide technical support to states in their efforts to efficiently and safely move people and goods. Kentucky was a charter member at AASHTO’s founding in 1914.
Secretary Hancock was elected Monday, Oct. 21, by the AASHTO Board of Directors at the association’s annual meeting, in Denver. John Cox, director of the Wyoming Department of Transportation, was elected vice president. The terms are for one year, Secretary Hancock spent the past year as AASHTO vice president.
Secretary Hancock is the fourth Kentuckian to serve as AASHTO president, following Thomas H. Cutler (1936-37), D.H. Bray (1961) and James C. Codell III (2003). As president of AASHTO, Secretary Hancock is part of a 12-person executive committee that leads the organization.
Secretary Hancock said he intends as president to emphasize three areas: leading AASHTO’s effort to ensure Congress passes the next surface transportation reauthorization bill on schedule in 2014; updating the AASHTO Strategic Plan, and innovation as it relates to state and industry practices.
“This is a critical time for state transportation agencies as we grapple with uncertain federal funding in the face of ever-increasing transportation needs,” he said. “The states must be able to count on the federal government to provide sustainable levels of annual transportation funding today and into the future.
“As Congress considers the reauthorization of federal transportation programs next year, a top priority must be to achieve economic stability through a strong and sustainable level of transportation investment. As President of AASHTO, I look forward to continuing discussions in that regard,” Secretary Hancock said.
Gov. Steve Beshear appointed Secretary Hancock to lead the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) in July 2010. The Secretary is a career KYTC employee who has served as assistant state highway engineer for program management, deputy state highway engineer for planning, state highway engineer, KYTC chief of staff and Acting Secretary.
In addition to having been AASHTO vice president, he is past president of the Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (SASHTO) and served as chairman of the AASHTO Standing Committee on Planning. He also is a member of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board, a national panel that guides transportation research in the United States.
Having been responsible for preparation of the Kentucky Highway Plan for many years, Secretary Hancock has worked closely with local, state and national leaders in the area of project needs prioritization and transportation program funding issues.
A native of Princeton, in Caldwell County, he is a graduate of the University of Kentucky.
