APWA Honors E. Jason Sims as Professional Manager of the Year

LEE'S SUMMIT, MO. – E. Jason Sims, Manager of Kansas City Scout was honored by the Kansas City Chapter of the American Public Works Association with the Professional Manager of the Year Award. The award recognizes the outstanding career service achievements of public transportation professionals. The primary focus of this award is recognition of exceptional leadership and management by an individual through a significant transportation related project or program. The award was presented to Mr. Sims, today at the National Public Works Week luncheon ceremony convened in downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the Muehlebach Tower.

Jason Sims is possibly the youngest and first African-American male to head a traffic management center of Scout’s magnitude in a major metropolitan city in the United States. As manager of Scout, the first of its kind bi-state initiative he serves as the liaison and focal point for a productive partnership between the Kansas and Missouri Departments of Transportation.

In 2007 Mr. Sims developed a concept new to the nation, combining Travel Time Messaging with Incident Messaging, what's more he created a robust Incident Management program to compliment the Travel Time Reliability project. Additionally Jason executed staffing of a 24/7 Customer Service call center and implemented Kansas City to St. Louis I-70 Corridor Messaging where Kansas City Scout staff monitors and signs for roadwork and incidents along I-70 between Kansas City and St. Louis. Mr. Sims developed partnerships with 3rd Dimension and KSHB TV launching Traffic Jam Cell Cam which provides Kansas City commuters streaming traffic video to mobile devices, this venture was the second of its kind in the nation. He also generated Data Sharing with TANN and Traffic.com.

Mr. Sims is regionally known for his personal integrity and knowledge of Intelligent Transportation Systems. His experience has prompted him to become a mentor and educator to a number of engineering professionals in the region. He is highly regarded by his staff as well as his colleagues, and known for bringing together people of diverse backgrounds in the pursuit of organizational excellence. He has a documented record of successful and innovative leadership. He is a leader in his field and has an energetic passionate approach in insisting Scout be a world class Intelligent Transportation System.