Former FHWA official leads ODOT program - Along the Road

Public Roads, May-June, 2003

In January 2003, Leonard E. Brown joined the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to head its Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP). Brown served as administrator of FHWA's Ohio Division for the past 5 years and now will ensure that Ohio's LTAP provides cities and counties with technical assistance in maintaining their local roads and bridges.

Deputy Director Brown will be responsible for developing training opportunities and coordinating the dissemination of resources to aid local governments m improving their transportation operations. ODOT, FHWA, and The Ohio State University have a long-standing partnership to provide LTAP services to the local transportation community in Ohio. For the past two decades, the program was housed at The Ohio State University, but because of ODOT's expertise in providing practical training and technical assistance to Ohio's local governments, the LTAP duties have been transferred to ODOT.

State LTAP centers serve 38,000 local agencies responsible for maintaining more than 4.8 million kilometers (3 million miles) of roads and approximately 29,000 bridges nationwide. LTAP's primary function is to help local governments tap into new technology, information, and training so they can operate more efficiently and safely.

Prior to his appointment at FHWA, Brown served as an FHWA assistant division administrator in Indiana; chief of district operations in the FHWA California Division Office; and several field engineer positions in Iowa, Louisiana, and Ohio.

Brown is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University in Texas and completed the majority of the requirements toward a master's degree in public administration from Iowa State University. He has received numerous performance and honor awards, including the FHWA Administrator's Award for Superior Achievement.