The DOT POD

Every day at DOT, thousands of employees are solving problems. Maintaining our roads and bridges, responding to emergencies, designing projects, and keeping New Yorkers moving.
But as a new generation of employees steps forward, and many longtime employees prepare for retirement, how do we make sure all their knowledge doesn't leave with them? The answer is mentorship.
Today we're talking about DOT's Mentorship Program, an effort that's connecting employees across the department to build an even stronger future.
Josh and Anya welcome in Melissa Hardiman with DOT's Learning and Development Team, and Lee Gottfried, Assistant Director with the Office of Fleet Administration and Support to discuss the program.
Current employees interested in being a part of the community can find out more information here.

The world's biggest sporting event is going on right now - the World Cup. Behind the scenes, months and years of planning have gone into making sure fans can get to where they need to go safely and efficiently...and DOT has played a major role in making that happen.

In this episode of the DOT POD, Josh and Anya are joined by Ken Bibbins, DOT's Assistant Commissioner for Operations, and Matt Vasilow, Director of the department's Emergency Transportation Operations and Security Programs Bureau, to give us an insiders look into how DOT helped plan for this historic event, how we coordinated with various agencies, and what we learned from previous large scale events.

For a lot of people, DOT is not just a job - it's part of their family story. From watching their parents suit up to respond to storms, or hearing about projects at the dinner table, these are people who learned at a very young age that public service isn't glamorous, but it truly matters, and that's why they are proud to carry forward that tradition of service.

In this episode, Josh and Anya spoke with one of these families as they welcomed in Dick Anger and his granddaughter Brittany Dudek who are a part of three generations here at the New York State Department of Transportation .

Engineering shapes nearly every aspect of our lives, including the roads and bridges we travel every day. At the New York State Department of Transportation, women engineers are leading major transportation projects, mentoring future professionals, and helping shape the future of transportation across our state.

Every year on June 23rd, International Women in Engineering Day celebrates the outstanding achievements of women engineers around the world and shines a spotlight on the opportunities engineering creates for future generations.

In this episode, Josh and Anya are joined by two outstanding members of our engineering team who have built remarkable careers in public service: Adrienne LiBritz-Cooley is the Director of the Structures Specialty Engineering Bureau in DOT's Office of Structures, and Angelica Naumowicz, Design Squad Leader in the Office of Design.

Josh and Anya are in the City of Buffalo talking about Queen City Forward, an effort that's all about rethinking the future of transportation in Western New York, starting with the Kensington Expressway, also known as The 33.

Joining the show are Queen City Forward Project Assistant Taje Jenkins-Jones, and Ryan Whalen, DOT's Public Information Officer for the Buffalo Region. Both are from Buffalo and are leading this outreach and engagement work.