Local PennDOT employees receive awards
Two employees from the District 12 office of the state Department of Transportation are among those receiving awards from PennDOT for their outstanding performance.
PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch recognized 27 PennDOT employees statewide with the Star of Excellence Award, PennDOT’s highest recognition. District 12 covers Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
“The Star of Excellence award illustrates that these are employees who set an example for their colleagues through their leadership and dedication to providing exceptional service,” Schoch said. “Our customers have entrusted a great investment to us with the new transportation plan, and these recipients are helping us meet our goals in each focus of our mission.”
Marcia Harrer of Mount Pleasant and Barry Lyons of Perryopolis were honored Thursday at an awards luncheon at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg.
“Marcia and Barry are two great examples of the many excellent employees in southwestern Pennsylvania and across the state. I am truly fortunate and honored to have such knowledgeable and dedicated individuals applying their expertise within our organization. Their work and dedication are great examples of our commitment at PennDOT in having to excel at our efforts to conduct our work in the most efficient and effective way possible,” said District 12 Executive Joseph Szczur.
As the district human resources manager, Harrer was a leader in the implementation of the Safety Partnership Agreement and Declaration of Safety that serves as the foundation of all the efforts to improve District 12’s safety culture. The document also evolved into the statewide “Safety Partnership Agreement.”
PennDOT said her efforts enhanced the district’s safety culture. Accidents in the district have been reduced in part by her leadership and initiatives. Personal injuries have gone from 90 in fiscal year from 2009 to 27 in 2013, and fleet accidents have been reduced from 75 in fiscal year of 2010 to 33.
She is actively involved in the PNG Project Delivery Workload Balancing and Sharing Team and also developed the District 12-0 manager/supervisor folder, which houses all the up-to-date state and district policies, rules, forms and more. She helped charter the district’s safety/quality committee.
Described by her co-workers as a true professional, Harrer has been a mentor to many women who have passed through the doors of the Department’s Leadership, Education And Development (LEAD) program.
She is actively involved in her church, St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church in Uniontown as an ECF catechist for many years. She is currently the president of the GCU (Greek Catholic Union), Lodge 81.
She and her husband Richard live in Mount Pleasant. She has a stepson Jared.
As a design project manager, Lyons is responsible for some of the largest and most complex project designs in the district, PennDOT said. Currently, he has three major Interstate 70 projects: I-70 at New Stanton interchange in Westmoreland County, and two in Washington County, an I-70 corridor project from Route 136 to the South Junction and I-70 at Murtland Avenue interchange (Pennsylvania’s first diverging diamond interchange (DDI)).
The DDI design allowed for considerable right-of-way savings by avoiding major business acquisitions. As part of the DDI project, Lyons assisted in the development on an informational video demonstrating the unique features of the design.
He served as a mentor to a young civil engineer trainee program candidate, and his dedication, professionalism and work ethic make him a role model for all of his co-workers, said PennDOT.
He and his wife Lisa have two sons, Lance and Alex.