By Ines Aviles-Spadoni, M.S., M.A., UFTI Research Coordinator/Communications
Ruth L. Steiner, a professor in the UF Department of Urban and Regional Planning, and Mehri Mohebbi, UFTI transportation equity program director, along with team members from multiple universities, were honored with the 2024 Charlie V. Wootan Award in January 2025 during the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Steiner’s team received the award for their STRIDE-funded project titled “A Framework for the Development of a Diverse Transportation Workforce in the Southeast Region,” which provides actionable solutions that aim to create a supportive and innovative workforce within the transportation industry.
STRIDE, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2016 grant-funded regional (Southeast) University Transportation Center (UTC), was led by UFTI. The nine-university consortium worked on creating research, education, and workforce development initiatives that addressed transportation challenges in the Southeast.
The award-winning collaborative paper, which was published in the Transportation Research Record (TRR): Journal of Transportation Research Board, was selected through a rigorous peer-review process. This collaborative project included contributions from Steven M. Click of Tennessee Tech University, Virginia Sisiopiku and Muhammad Sherif of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Mohammed Hadi of Florida International University, Dimitra Michalaka of The Citadel, James Martin of North Carolina State University, and Jeremy Griffith of Kimley-Horn in Atlanta.
The Charley V. Wootan Award was established in 2004 and recognizes outstanding papers in the field of policy and organization.