Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll today recognized 30 PennDOT employees for their outstanding performance with the Star of Excellence Award, PennDOT's highest recognition. Two from PennDOT's District 1, which represents Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties were among the honorees.

“Every day, I am reminded of our employees' dedication, their excellent customer service, and in many cases, their sacrifices," said Carroll. “The accomplishments of our Stars of Excellence exemplify PennDOT's mission to provide the very best transportation services to Pennsylvanians every day."

Local winners Judson (Andy) Boland and Dorothy Staub were among those honored this afternoon at an awards luncheon at the AACA Museum in Hershey.

“Every year when our team sits down to nominate honorees, we are reminded how many truly hardworking and innovative employees we have in the northwest region," said District 1 Executive Brian McNulty. “Dorothy and Andy were chosen due to their continued commitment to improve efficiency of our processes and improve our service to the public."
 
Andy Boland is the District 1 Permit Manager. Throughout his tenure leading permits, the unit has consistently led the Department in performance metrics, including review times of only three days for hauling and utility permits.

Boland implemented a best practice of conducting field view meetings with hauling permit applicants at the beginning of the process and prior to the application being submitted. This allows the applicant, the applicant's engineer, and the permits unit to discuss the scope of the project, impacts to the department's infrastructure, and the requirements and expectations for the application process. This has led to shortened application approval times, decreased amount of revisions and reviews, and cost and time savings to PennDOT and applicants.

In 2023, the permits unit took on the task of complying with the updated Outdoor Advertising and Right-of-Way Encroachments policies. Boland recognized the efficiencies that could be realized by having permit inspectors, who travel through the region frequently, identify signs that should be addressed, another cost and time savings for District 1. 

Boland resides in Polk, Venango County with his wife and two children. He serves on the Franklin Area School District Board.

Dorothy Staub is the Administrative Assistant to the District Executive. In that position she serves as a conduit between the public and the district's leadership team.

Staub is known in the office as a leader and a role model with regards to professionalism and service. Co-workers and customers rely on her knowledge to expedite concerns and communications. She leads upwards with regards to the District Executive team and serves as a mentor for many new or new-to-their-position staffers.

As an example of this, Staub started the District 1 Clerical Support Group. Recognizing the need for better knowledge and skill sharing due to retirements and new employees in recent years, Staub started the group to improve the efficiency and consistency of the work done by the clerical staff in the district and county offices. She also has a heart for helping others and volunteers with the annual SECA campaign, holiday adopt-a-family efforts, military recognition, and other programs that assist people and animals.

Staub lives in Oil City, Venango County with her husband and works at PennDOT with one of her two grown sons. She sponsors a Free Little Library at her home to support greater literacy for children and adults in her community.

The Star of Excellence Awards are presented annually to employees who represent the department's values of service, performance and integrity. The recipients represent a variety of organizational positions, spanning from highway maintenance and driver and vehicle services workers, to traffic control specialists, communications staff and design and engineering specialists.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District1.

Information about infrastructure in District 1, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D1Results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

Find PennDOT news for the northwest region on X or Facebook. 

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