Organization represents all transportation modes, supports all state transportation agencies
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 27, 2012) — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Mike Hancock recently was elected vice president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
“I’m honored to serve as AASHTO vice president for the coming year,” Hancock said. “Transportation issues in this country are challenging and complex. The unique issues faced by each state require a degree of flexibility while we also seek to retain the national highway and transportation standards for which AASHTO is known.”
AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water. Its mission is to advocate for policies and provide technical support to states in their efforts to efficiently and safely move people and goods.
Hancock was elected last week by the AASHTO Board of Directors at the association’s annual meeting in Pittsburgh.
As vice president of AASHTO, Hancock is part of a 12-person executive committee that leads the organization. He will work closely with AASHTO’s new president, Michael Lewis, director of transportation in Rhode Island.
Lewis said he planned to emphasize three areas: deployment of new technologies, implementation of reforms included in the new surface transportation reauthorization bill known as MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century), and leading AASHTO’s effort to ensure Congress passes the next surface transportation reauthorization bill on schedule in 2014.
Gov. Steve Beshear appointed Hancock to lead the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) in July 2010. Hancock 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.
He is past president of the Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (SASHTO) and serves 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, 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.
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