1. Update on AASHTO Committee Restructuring
Paul Degges, P.E., Vice-Chair
Council on Highways and Streets
September 13, 2017

2. AASHTO Strategic Plan Strategic Goals: Provide value to members
Provide innovative technical and professional services and products
Be a leader in national transportation policy development
Communicate the value of transportation
First, some background:
Following the adoption of our current AASHTO strategic plan in 2014, and based on the information revealed during the SWOT analysis and stakeholder interviews conducted as part of that effort, the AASHTO Board of Directors requested a comprehensive review of the committee structure and operations to ensure that we are providing the highest possible value to our members.
The four goals of the strategic plan are:
Provide value to members
Provide innovative technical and professional services and products
Be a leader in national transportation policy development
Communicate the value of transportation
In the Spring of 2015, a steering committee was formed to undertake the Comprehensive Committee Review (or CCR). It was comprised of members of the AASHTO Board of Directors and several senior managers from the member departments.
Members of the steering committee were:
Co-chairs Paul Trombino (IA) and Carlos Braceras (UT)
Grant Levi (ND); Tim Henkel (MN); Paul Degges (TN); Greg Slater (MD); Paul Worley (NC); Del McOmie (WY)

3. Strategic Objectives/Outcomes
Organizational Structure: Provide an organizational structure that ensures committees can operate efficiently and be nimble, adaptable, and forward looking.
Organizational Focus: Broaden multimodal perspectives of committees and their coverage.
Committee Priorities: Prioritize committee activities and the resources required to support and conduct these activities while representing the diverse views of the member departments.
Cross-Committee Interactions: Provide for increased communication between committees.
The CCR had a number of strategic objectives going into their review of the committee structure, some of which are shown on this slide, including:
Operating as efficiently as possible and responding to emerging issues and quickly-developing matters
Broadening out perspectives to include other modes where needed
Ensuring that the committees are responding to priorities identified at the highest level of the organization – our Board of Directors
And addressing cross-functional issues by encouraging interaction between the committees

4. New Committee Structure Transportation Policy Forum
Approved, Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Policy Bodies:
Transportation Policy Forum
Special Committees:
Aviation
Water
Strategic Management Committee
Freight
Councils::
AASHTOWare
Highways and Streets
Rail
Public Transportation
Active Transportation
Research and Innovation
Program Delivery and Operations Committees:
Enterprise/Cross-Discipline Committees:
Administration Committees:
Agency Administration
Planning
Environment and Sustainability
Design
Safety
Communications
Human Resources
Internal and External Audit
Bridges and Structures
Traffic Engineering
Right of Way and Utilities
After considering a number of scenarios, and after consideration of the comments and feedback received during outreach efforts, the steering committee decided upon this organizational structure to recommend to the Board
These changes were proposed to encourage greater communication across disciplines and across modes, and to make the organization quicker and more nimble in its workings…
Among the changes adopted by the Board in November 2016 as part of this new structure were the following:
[CLICK] A Strategic Management Committee within the Board of Directors was established to provide guidance on the transition to the new structure, as well as routine oversight of the work of the committees for the Board;
[CLICK] A set of Policy Bodies were formed, including a new Transportation Policy Forum and six modal Councils;
[CLICK] and Existing and new committees were grouped into three groups:
Program Delivery and Operations Committees
Enterprise and Cross-Discipline Committee
Agency Administration Committees
[CLICK] Among the new committees that are being introduced are
Knowledge Management,
Data Management and Analytics,
and the Active Transportation council;
[CLICK] and among the committees that were combined or streamlined are:
Materials and Pavements,
Performance-Based Management (which includes Asset Management , Risk Management), and Performance Management),
Transportation System Security and Resilience (includes SCOTSEM and RSTS)
and Transportation System Operations (includes STSMO, Wireless, and Highway Transport)
(Note that the chart does not address groups that will continue to exist below the committee level….)
During the implementation phase, which we are now in, committee members are expected to have a strong role in aligning their committee with the AASHTO Strategic Plan and the restructuring goals while maintaining the essential services and products that the committee currently produces.
Transportation System Security and Resilience
Performance-Based Management
Knowledge Management
Civil Rights
Materials and Pavements
Construction
Maintenance
Data Management and Analytics
Funding and Finance
Transportation System Operations

5. Adopted Procedural Changes
Better define the roles and responsibilities of the committees
Establish committee activities focused on Strategic Plan goals
Improve direction from parent committees to subgroups
Committee chairs be members of a Council, the TPF or Board, and that subgroup chairs be members of the parent committee
Establish “steering committees” within committees
Identify cross-cutting liaisons between appropriate committees
Technical service programs guided by appropriate committee(s)
Encourage groups to operate virtually
Establish Communities of Practice for discipline/topical areas
Establish ad-hoc, short-term task forces for specific matters
Formalize the role of the Associate Members
Allow limited participation by private sector representatives
The slide summarizes the procedural changes that were adopted in addition to the structural changes mentioned previously.
These procedural changes are intended to help clarify the roles and responsibilities of the committees, streamline committee operations, and reach out to a wider circle of participants within the DOTs as well as outside our traditional membership.
[CLICK] Some of the ideas AASHTO is working to implement include:
#2: alignment committee work with the Strategic Plan goals
#8: encouraging committees to meet virtually for efficiency and allow more participation;
#9: establishing Communities of Practice to reach a wider audience (beyond those members who are able to attend AASHTO meetings) and/or introduce new topics of discussion;
#11: formalizing role of associate members (other public agencies) to gain their perspectives, insights, and assistance; and
#12: allowing formal participation by private sector representatives
Note that none of these procedural changes is intended to reduce the opportunity for all 52 member departments to participate in the committees…
(nor do #11 and #12 give voting rights to any entity outside the 52 member departments)
(Information below is for reference only)
========================================
Operational – Procedural Changes (verbatim from report)
Better define the roles and responsibilities of the committees (from the top down) to ensure that committees focus on their principal charge, as well as to minimize redundancy between committees.
Establish committee work plans and annual activity reports focused on accomplishing tasks that meet AASHTO Strategic Plan goals.
Increase/improve direction from parent committees to subgroups to help prioritize and establish timelines for completion of tasks.
Require that committee chairs be members of a Council, the Transportation Policy Forum, or the Board of Directors, and that committee subgroup chairs be members of the committee to which they report, to foster communication among all levels of the association.
Establish “steering committees” within committees to ensure nimbleness of actions and direction. These committees will address strategic and emerging issues, manage the committee work, and communicate and coordinate with other committees.
Identify cross-cutting issues and appoint liaisons between appropriate committees for coordination and communication.
Require technical service programs to be guided by appropriate committee(s).
Encourage groups to operate virtually to facilitate committee communication and information exchange between the states.
Establish Communities of Practice for discipline and topical areas to extend the reach, value, and impact to member departments beyond the formal committee structure.
Establish ad-hoc, short-term task forces to address specific matters that are important to be addressed but may not need ongoing attention.
Formalize the role of the Associate Members, including local transportation agencies, with ex officio, non-voting representation on appropriate committees.
Allow the private sector limited participation on applicable committees without voting rights.

6. Policy Issues
So, with this new structure, many of the questions we’ve heard relate to how current functions, such as approving resolutions or documents, will be handled in the new arrangement.
While all of the details have not been completely worked out yet, the next three slides show how we expect certain functions to work, such as….
…the review and balloting process for policies
Under the new structure, most committees will operate fairly independently under broad principles and direction from the Board of Directors and the Strategic Management Committee.
[CLICK] Policies (i.e., policy resolutions, reauthorization positions, etc.) developed and balloted by the Special Committees, the Agency Administration Managing Committee, and the Transportation Policy Forum will progress directly to the Board of Directors. The Board may then refer any proposed policy to the Transportation Policy Forum for review.
[CLICK] Policies developed and balloted by the Special Committee on Freight and the Councils will progress to the Transportation Policy Forum and then to the Board of Directors.
[CLICK] Policies developed by a Committee under the Agency Administration Managing Committee will progress to the Agency Administration Managing Committee and then to the Board of Directors.
[CLICK] Policies developed by other Committees will progress to the Transportation Policy Forum, and then to the Board. The Transportation Policy Forum may seek input on proposed policies from one or more of the Councils.

7. Technical Issues
M A S H
For technical documents and technical policy matters, the process will be a little bit different…
Technical documents will be referred to the appropriate modal Council for review and approval.
Where such matters involve more than one mode, the Transportation Policy Forum Steering Committee will decide whether the document should be balloted concurrently by more than one Council, or balloted by one Council with advice and input from other Council(s).
Should there be disagreements, this Steering Committee will act as arbitrator to reach a solution or will refer the matter to the Board of Directors.
An example would be MASH – the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (which is crash test guidelines for roadside hardware)
[CLICK] This document would be balloted by the Design Committee, and then would progress to the Council on Highways and Streets.

8. Technical Issues (multi-modal)
Transit Fac.
And for a document containing information related to multiple modes…
…such as the Guide for Geometric Design of Transit Facilities on Highways and Streets
[CLICK] The review and balloting process would flow from the Design Committee to BOTH the Council on Highways and Streets AND the Council on Public Transportation.
The Executive Committee of the Transportation Policy Forum would decide whether both Councils should be balloted concurrently
OR if one Council should provide input to the other during their ballot process.
During the development of the guide, we hope that the Design Committee would provide updates and seek comments from both Councils to help ensure that appropriate issues and concerns are addressed in the final document.
Issues not able to be resolved by Councils would be referred to the Transportation Policy Forum for resolution, and then to the Board of Directors if not resolved there

9. Next Steps
Appointments to new committees being requested by President Bernhardt
Transportation Policy Forum meeting for the first time tomorrow
Strategic Management Committee meeting with newly appointed committee chairs on Thursday
Appointments to Councils and Committees will be requested soon
So where do we go from here?
Several weeks back, a memo came from Dave Bernhardt requesting appointments to the new transportation Policy Forum. That new group will be meeting for the first time tomorrow afternoon, led by Vice-President John Schroer.
In addition to the responsibilities I mentioned when speaking about the review and balloting process, this group’s primary function is to discuss and recommend legislation, regulations, and other policy matters to the Board of Directors.
You are welcome to attend this meeting, and some of you will be participating as members of this group, having been appointed by your CEO.
In addition to the Policy Forum meeting, the Strategic Management Committee will be meeting on Thursday with all of the Committee Chairs to discuss the process for moving forward under the new committee structure.
Their charge, as a subset of the Board, is to provide top-down direction to the committees and councils on high-level issues of importance to the Board (including both national priorities as well as emerging issues), and to review committee work plans and activities to ensure that AASHTO is making appropriate progress on its Strategic Plan.
This group is also responsible for establishing external partnering efforts for the Association as a whole.
With regard to the rest of the committees in the new structure, your CEOs should expect another letter from President Bernhardt soon requesting appointments or re-confirmations of existing membership on the remaining Councils, Special Committees, and Committees.

10. Next Steps
All committees asked to revise charge statements for consideration by the Strategic Management Committee
Align with Strategic Plan and restructuring report
Engage committee members in development of revised charge
Ensure continued coverage of critical tasks and products
Consider communication with other committees
Consider internal restructuring, if needed
…As for the new Council on Highways and Streets – on which I expect many of you will become members….
Once the new membership has been appointed to the Councils, Committees, and Special Committees, these groups, in coordination with their AASHTO staff liaisons, are being requested to review and update their charge statements to align with the Strategic Plan and to incorporate any changes indicated in the restructuring report that was adopted last fall.
For this effort, we will reach out to a handful of folks to do the initial review and edits, and then offer a draft for everyone to react to.
We obviously want to ensure that critical tasks continue to be covered, as well as new aspects that we may want to add to our focus.

11. AASHTO Annual Meeting September 2017 in Phoenix
Updated AASHTO Governing Documents (with revised charge statements) to be considered by the Board of Directors
Full transition to new committee names, new scopes, and new processes
The charge statements need to be ready for review and adoption as part of the revision of the entire AASHTO Governing Documents, which is scheduled total place this fall at the AASHTO Annual Meeting.
It is at this meeting that full implementation of the new structure will take place, and the new committee names, charges, and processes will go into effect.

12. Questions and Discussion http://committeereorg.transportation.org

13. New Committee Structure Transportation Policy Forum
Approved, Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Policy Bodies:
Transportation Policy Forum
Special Committees:
Aviation
Water
Strategic Management Committee
Freight
Councils::
AASHTOWare
Highways and Streets
Rail
Public Transportation
Active Transportation
Research and Innovation
Program Delivery and Operations Committees:
Enterprise/Cross-Discipline Committees:
Administration Committees:
Agency Administration
Planning
Environment and Sustainability
Design
Safety
Communications
Human Resources
Internal and External Audit
Bridges and Structures
Traffic Engineering
Right of Way and Utilities
Transportation System Security and Resilience
Performance-Based Management
Knowledge Management
Civil Rights
Materials and Pavements
Construction
Maintenance
Data Management and Analytics
Funding and Finance
Transportation System Operations