Welcome aboard to new members of the TxDOT Aviation Division staff!
After a long period of being “short staffed” for a variety of reasons, we have recently hired seven new employees, bringing us back up to full staff. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our new employees.
In our Planning Section, the new employees are Elaine Alvardo, Amy Foster and Kaity Cromwell. Elaine comes to us from Houston where she worked as a Planner for the TxDOT Houston District, overseeing planning studies for the Houston-Galveston Area Council. Amy Foster spent 16 years with TxDOT’s Environmental Affairs Division serving as the Water Team and Stormwater Advisory Team Lead. Kaity Cromwell was born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Kaity has worked in public service since 2012 and has a background in transportation planning and community development.
In our Engineering Section, the new employees are Steve Harp and Eulalio “EJ” De Leon Jr. Steve Harp recently joined the TxDOT Aviation Division following 14 years of service with the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Engineering Services Program. EJ comes to the Aviation Division as a Construction Inspector after working with the TxDOT Right-of-Way Division as an Outdoor Advertising Code Compliance Agent for the last 5 1/2 years.
In our Grants Management Section, the new employees are Bobby Hidrogo and Becky Vick. Bobby started his career with TXDOT in the Public Transportation (PTN) Division in 2013. Last, but not least, welcome back, Becky Vick! For those who might not know Becky, she left us two years ago to take a job with Bastrop County where she lives. Now that she is back, she will be working with our grants program as well as again managing our annual aviation conference.
As we welcome new employees, we also say goodbye to two of our truly outstanding employees and friends, Ed Oshinski and Robert Jackson. It is not possible to put into words the contribution that EO has made to both us and the Texas General Aviation Airport System during his 28 years of service working for TxDOT. We will also soon be saying goodbye to Robert Jackson, our Environmental Expert and Planner. Not only has Robert been invaluable in steering us through the environmental challenges associated with airport development projects, but he has been an absolute joy to work with over the past five years and a trusty copilot on several trips to your airports. Ed and Robert, we wish you the best!