Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Associate Agency Director Bill Eisele and recently retired Senior Research Engineer Kevin Balke were formally recognized as 2022–2023 Regents Fellows at the Regents Awards Banquet on May 6.
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents established the Regents Fellow Service Award Program in 1998. The purpose of this Award is to recognize and honor service, extension and research professionals who have provided exemplary professional service to society that has created large and lasting benefits to Texas and beyond. This award is specifically for agency professionals in the eight A&M System agricultural and engineering agencies. Since its establishment, the Regents Fellow Service Award has been bestowed upon 188 agency professionals.
Eisele not only leads TTI’s Planning Group but is also a recognized U.S. and international expert in the areas of mobility analysis, freight mobility, urban freight transportation, performance measurement and access management. Having worked in the transportation field for nearly 30 years, Eisele has been a key contributor to many high-profile projects including co-authoring TTI’s Urban Mobility Report, a traffic study that provides mobility statistics in hundreds of U.S. urban areas. As a freight mobility expert, Eisele led a team that developed a Freight Mobility Trends Dashboard for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that identifies freight bottlenecks on the national highway system. Eisele also serves as principal investigator on a multi-year freight planning interagency contract with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) that includes a variety of tasks with the common goal of improving freight movement throughout Texas. In addition to his pivotal role at TTI, Eisele serves as an instructional professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University.
“I’m extremely honored and humbled to receive this award,” shares Eisele. “Serving our community and contributing to our institution’s mission has been a rewarding journey, and I’ve been blessed to work with many dedicated and talented colleagues and sponsors. I accept this award on their behalf in recognition of their invaluable contributions.”
Balke — with over 30 years of experience in the transportation field — specializes in intelligent transportation systems, freeway operations and management, traffic signal systems and control, weather responsive traffic management, traveler information systems, and connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). Balke has been at the forefront of several prominent national evaluations and pilot deployments for FHWA and TxDOT in the areas of CAV integration, congestion reduction, traffic signal operations and performance, automated truck platooning, and a CAV transit, bicycle and pedestrian testbed. Being an expert on traffic system operations and management, Balke recently developed a new Traffic Signal Program Handbook for FHWA. Additionally, he shares his expertise as a frequent course developer and instructor for the National Highway Institute.
“I’m truly grateful for the recognition as a Texas A&M University System Regents Fellow,” expresses Balke. “I want to thank TTI for providing a collaborative environment and my hardworking colleagues for their encouragement. This award inspires me to continue pushing boundaries and making meaningful contributions to the transportation field.”
“TTI proudly celebrates Bill and Kevin for being recipients of the Regents Fellow Service Award, recognizing their extraordinary contributions to this agency and the people of Texas,” expresses TTI’s Agency Director Greg Winfree. “This award not only exemplifies their individual successes but also celebrates the exceptional talent and inspiration they’ve brought to our institution.”