Editor's Note: Black and white, high resolution photos of the winners  for publication are available in the Media Center. Download JPG files from  www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9620_11145-120557--,00.html

June 26, 2006 -- Seven Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) employees are the recipients of the coveted Director's Award, the department's top honor for outstanding service. For 21 years, the annual award has recognized those employees who are steadfastly focused on the department's goals, and who consistently perform above and beyond the call of duty.

This year's honorees work in locations as diverse as Ishpeming and Southfield, and serve in a variety of jobs, including a drafting technician, a heavy equipment mechanic, and a Transportation Service Center (TSC) manager.

"The individuals selected for this special recognition will serve as role models for the entire department because they exemplify the behaviors we want to reinforce," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "Their hard work and dedication demonstrate a commitment to quality, teamwork, customers and integrity. We are fortunate that each one of these employees is a public servant committed to our state's transportation system."

The Director's Award program includes established work categories that represent the respective job responsibilities and levels within the department. While nominations for this award are made by MDOT employees, committees comprised of workers from each category make the final recommendations to the director.

This year's winners (and their respective job categories) are:

	Michael Odette (Professional, non-supervisor/non-specialist) is a property analyst in the Real Estate Unit at MDOT's Metro Region office located in Southfield. Odette's job involves appraisal, acquisition, relocation, excess property, and property management activities for MDOT's Metro Region. Odette is an exceptional employee who is pleasant and displays MDOT's values to the highest degree. Quick to volunteer, Odette contributes ideas that save MDOT time and money. Odette created boilerplate language that helped MDOT save 4-8 hours per market study. Taking an active leadership role on the 2005 Centennial Team for the region, Odette motivated his co-workers to get involved, which resulted in MDOT's presence in the Woodward Dream Cruise and the America's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
	Mary Disney (Technical, non-supervisor) Disney, a drafting technician at the Kalamazoo TSC in MDOT's Southwest Region, assists in preparing plans for highway projects and in the scoping of Capital Preventive Maintenance (CPM) projects. Disney consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty to run the TSC's CPM program. She scopes, estimates, drafts and assembles the bid packages for the projects for the entire program each year. Disney visits projects-in-process to gain knowledge, and consults with MDOT maintenance coordinators and the development engineer. While designing a more complicated CPM fix with new technology, Disney approached the delivery engineer with a specific problem she noticed while in the field collecting data. Together they were able to determine a solution. Disney's dedication inspires her co-workers.
	Sandy Aernie (Administrative Support) Aernie is a general office assistant at the Paw Paw Central Repair Facility in MDOT's Southwest Region. Because she is resilient, industrious, team-oriented, and positive - no matter what the situation - Aernie is not intimidated by new or diverse challenges. Aernie was reassigned to the Maintenance Division after more than 20 years in the Construction Division, requiring her to learn new terminology, software, coding, and processes. While working in the construction division, she took over financial and project management duties to relocate the construction office from the Battle Creek garage to the Paw Paw complex. Aernie teamed with staff and vendors to solicit bids, manage the move, organize the office, and set up phones, computer lines, and utility hookups.
	Ali Mahdavi (Professional, supervisor) Mahdavi, who works in the Design Support Area of Highway Development in Lansing, is responsible for a Bridge Design Unit and for the design and preparation of contract plans and specifications for bridges and related structures. Mahdavi led the way for the bridge production squad's conversion to the Load and Resistance Factor Design, the most significant specification change the department has faced since 1977. He consistently looks for ways to deliver quality work in a timely and cost-effective way, such as when he was working on a bridge project that required a pedestrian sidewalk, but project constraints prevented a conventional bridge widening. Mahdavi and a manufacturer came up with an innovative pedestrian walkway that attached to the side of the bridge - a solution that kept the project on schedule and resulted in significant real estate costs. Mahdavi values his employees and consistently recognizes their good work.
	Patrick Miller (Skilled Crafts & Labor/Safety, non-supervisor) A dedicated, 30-year Kalkaska Garage maintenance employee in MDOT's North Region, Miller currently works as a heavy equipment mechanic. He is responsible for performing a full-range of maintenance activities on MDOT vehicles and equipment. For MDOT's centennial, Miller restored a 1947 Oshkosh Snow-Go blower truck for entry in the National Cherry Festival Heritage Parade. Miller made sure the vehicle was running properly, delivered it, trained MDOT's director in its use so she could give demonstrations along the parade route, and drove the plow. The positive impact - on the garage, region, and community -as tremendous. Miller meets with the equipment operators to provide information about recurring repairs, which has minimized equipment breakdowns and costs. He frequently designs or fabricates parts to reduce costly breakdowns and to improve how a truck spreads salt or plows snow. Miller also is a mentor for students and co-workers.
	Selena R. Friend (Professional, non-supervisor) Friend, who is the cost and scheduling engineer for Bay Region's Development Unit within Highway Operations, manages consultant contracts and assists the region's TSCs to monitor their budgets and schedules for their programs and projects. She also assists as needed to develop and coordinate a quality assurance program for the region. Friend regularly completes tasks for the Delivery section and she serves as the GIS coordinator. When the TSCs were developing the corridor planning maps, Friend helped implement a computer program to automate the process. She initiated a quality control process by reviewing the region-wide project status report each quarter. This report, which assists regional leadership in decision- making, is more effective due to her efforts to ensure its quality. Friend almost single- handedly developed activity-oriented critical path method schedules to assist in the development of the bridge program.
	Andy Sikkema (Official/Administrator) Sikkema is the longest-serving TSC manager in the state. He works in the Ishpeming TSC, located in MDOT's Superior Region, where he is well-respected by MDOT and its partners. He takes great pride in recognizing his employees' successes and has created a culture that invites them to try the unconventional. Sikkema serves on the Industry Advisory Board for Michigan Tech University's civil engineering program in an effort to ensure that graduates are prepared to deal with real-world issues. Sikkema is a trailblazer in corridor planning, community involvement, and multi-modal transportation planning. Sikkema not only makes communities aware of enhancement grant opportunities, he also works with officials to see the process completed. He worked with the city of Houghton, recently named one of America's most walkable cities, to secure funds to add a pedestrian tunnel under M-26.