John Habermann

Research Engineer

Education

• M.S., Civil Engineering, Purdue University,
• B.S., Civil Engineering, Texas A & M University,

Short Biography

Mr. Habermann has dedicated a significant portion of his career to workforce development. He spent fourteen years at Purdue University, where he developed technical and administrative transportation workshops, manuals, guides, training, and research for city and county elected and appointed officials. He also created presentations for state elected officials to inform them about the status and condition of local government transportation systems.

For the past eleven years, Mr. Habermann has applied his collaborative skills to assist TxDOT in engaging elected officials, travelers, business owners, and property owners during heavy highway and bridge construction projects. In addition to these engagement activities, he has conducted research for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Arizona DOT, and the University of Puerto Rico.

Over the last seven years, Mr. Habermann has been actively involved in efforts to counter human trafficking. He participates in the Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition, developed training for an FTA Crime Prevention and Public Safety project, and currently leads NCHRP 20-121A: Countering Human Trafficking: A Toolkit for State DOTs. He has been invited to speak on the intersection of human trafficking at national, state, and regional conferences. In addition to speaking engagements, Mr. Habermann has written articles and been interviewed on the topic of human trafficking. He believes that with proper training and policy development, the transportation industry can play a crucial role in countering human trafficking.

For more information, you can listen to his insights on the topic here: https://tti.tamu.edu/thinking-transportation/episode-13-when-captives-become-cargo-how-transportation-professionals-can-disrupt-human-trafficking/