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January 2001
Johns named CTS director
Robert Johns
Christine Maziar, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School, has announced that Robert C. Johns will become the Center's third director. He has been serving as acting director since Gerard McCullough resigned last August.
"Bob has done an outstanding job as acting director, and I am extremely pleased to announce that he will continue to lead CTS as its new director," says Maziar. "Bob's professional experience in public and private sector transportation organizations and at the University gives him a background almost ideally suited to lead this interdisciplinary and thoroughly engaged research and education enterprise.";
Johns was one of the first employees hired by Richard P. Braun, the former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) who founded CTS in 1986. In his role as CTS research coordinator, Johns was instrumental in developing joint transportation research programs with funding agencies and mechanisms for funding university faculty. In 1990 he was promoted to associate director, and then became acting director from 1994–96 during the search for a successor to Braun after his retirement. Since 1996 Johns was deputy director under McCullough.
Johns holds a bachelor's degree in engineering operations from Iowa State University, a master's in business administration from the University of Iowa, and a master's in English, also from the University of Iowa. Prior to coming to the University he served in management positions with Mn/DOT and the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities area, and as market manager with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway.
Johns is strongly optimistic for the future of the Center. "My goal is for CTS, in partnership with faculty and academic departments, to be recognized as one of the top university transportation centers in the nation—a level we have already reached in certain topic areas." He believes that the primary role for the Center should be to strengthen the University's contributions in creating innovations in transportation, which use scientific knowledge created from University research and transportation professionals from University education programs. This vision carries forth the broad goals set by the CTS Executive Committee—;to foster research and idea development, strengthen educational opportunities, and share knowledge—as well as the land-grant mission of the University.