Close of an Era -- ITS Joint Program Office in Transition with Departure of Johnson
IVsource.net
19 May 2002

An era is coming to an end, as Dr. Christine Johnson, long time director of the ITS Joint Program Office within the US Department of Transportation, is moving on.  IVsource provides a perspective on her tenure and speaks to possible future directions for the JPO, the “center of gravity” of the federal ITS program in the United States.

An era is coming to an end, as Dr. Christine Johnson, long time director of the ITS Joint Program Office within the US Department of Transportation since its inception in 1994, is moving on to another position within the agency.

Johnson -- known as “Christine” to almost everyone -- has been appointed as the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Director of Field Services for the Midwest, effective at the end of this month.  She fills the slot held most recently by George Ostenson, who now directs Highway Safety at FHWA.

Having directed the ITS JPO for the past eight years, Christine also took on the job of  Program Manager of the FHWA Operations core business unit when it was established as part of an agency-wide reorganization three years ago.  In announcing Christine’s new assignment, FHWA Administrator Mary Peters said that, in those positions, “Christine significantly ‘raised the bar’ in deploying technology and innovation to improve our nation's transportation systems, and has been a strong advocate for the development of technical expertise within the Agency.”

Prior to joining FHWA, Christine held senior positions in the New Jersey DOT, the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, Parsons Brinckerhoff Consulting, and the American Public Works Association.  This breadth of experience was noted by Peters, who added that Christine, in her new role in the FHWA field office structure, will bring a valuable perspective to the position and will “assist us in dealing with programmatic issues, achieving better alignment between Headquarters and the field, developing technical expertise, transferring technology, and further developing the leadership capacity of our Agency.”

Speculation is rife across the US ITS industry regarding the reasons for Christine’s departure and what it means to the future of the federal ITS program.  Given that she held the JPO job for so long, one could say it would have been natural for her to move on to other things.  Also heard from various sources has been speculation as to how optimal the “fit” has been with Bush appointees at the upper echelons of USDOT. 

As to the future of the JPO itself, anyone who truly knows which way the wind is blowing doesn't seem to be talking.  In a simplistic scenario, Jeff Paniati, current ITS Program Manager within the JPO and essentially Christine’s deputy over the last several years, could be named the new chief.  At the opposite end of the spectrum, more sweeping change could come in the form of the total elimination of the JPO – leaving the various DOT modal administrations of FHWA, NHTSA, FTA, and FMCSA on their own again with regard to ITS development, to set their own directions and allocate their own budgets for ITS programs.  In some corners of these agencies, the coordination and budgeting role of the JPO was regarded as intrusive from the first day of its establishment -- and these views live on to some degree.

One thing, however, is certain: Christine will be missed.  Her vision and aplomb in taking on myriad ITS issues during the last eight years has left an indelible mark on the US program, as well as the nascent ITS programs overseas which looked to the US for perspective and leadership.  She gave plenty of both, from a deep well of wisdom and reason.  Her legacy will continue to reverberate in our industry for a long time to come.

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