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“HONORING KATHRYN SWANSON” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1671 on Sept. 7, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING KATHRYN SWANSON
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HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR
of minnesota
in the house of representatives
Thursday, September 7, 2006
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Kathryn Swanson, a dedicated public servant whose passionate commitment to highway safety has guided her throughout her career.
Kathy has been a leading, influential figure in highway safety for more than 25 years, working tirelessly to save lives and prevent injuries on our Nation's roads.
Since 1998, Kathy has served as director of Minnesota's Office of Traffic Safety in the state's Department of Public Safety. Prior to being director, she served as deputy director, safety program coordinator, and as a research analyst.
As one of the longest tenured members of the state highway safety community, Kathy's counsel is frequently sought by other states and organizations around the country.
In her role as director, Kathy administers the state and community highway safety grant programs in Minnesota. During her tenure, the state has achieved significant progress including an 83.9 percent seat belt usage rate, which is above the national average. The state also achieved its lowest fatality rate ever during Kathy's tenure.
Kathy has also worked tirelessly with her counterparts in the Minnesota Department of Transportation in a true partnership aimed at significantly reducing traffic fatalities in Minnesota. Today the Towards Zero Death program is the keystone of Minnesota's safety agenda, affecting the work of various state and local agencies and private sector partners.
Kathy's success in Minnesota, her strong commitment to highway safety and the respect and support of her state peers led to her election as Vice Chair of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) in September 2002. GHSA is the nonprofit association representing the highway safety program managers of the states and the territories.
Following a leadership change in March of 2003, Kathy was elevated to Chair of GHSA, a position in which she served until the fall of 2004. Under Kathy's leadership, GHSA developed its positions on the reauthorization of our nation's surface transportation bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU).
As Immediate Past Chair, Kathy continues her involvement in GHSA. In 2005, she represented the Association at a listening session for the White House Conference on Aging where she discussed the role of the state highway safety offices in enhancing the safety of older drivers. She also represented GHSA at the 2005 launch of the Ford/GHSA Driving Skills for Life teen driving safety program.
Kathy's work has no doubt prevented countless traffic fatalities and injuries in Minnesota and across the Nation. I am proud and honored to share with my colleagues this deserved tribute to Kathy Swanson, who gives so much of herself to enrich the lives of others and to serve her community and her country.
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