The Arizona Department of Transportation Office of Communications and Public Involvement has been acknowledged for its excellence, snagging two prestigious awards from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) during the TransComm annual meeting, an event dedicated to highlighting the contributions of communication committees among state transportation agencies.
Distinct honors were bestowed upon Rusty Crerand, a Community Information Officer with ADOT, who received the Spirit of TransComm award for his exceptional customer service and issue resolution skills as, in a typical month, he handles over 1,500 inquiries single-handedly, closing out 99% of them within a single day. The extraordinary level of public engagement has resulted in commendation from the community as well as appreciation from his co-workers for his aptitude in escalating pressing concerns, as detailed by the ADOT official website.
Further kudos went to ADOT's Blog, pronounced the Best Blog, featuring content that surpasses the regular traffic updates and press releases, painting an illustrative backdrop of the behind-the-scenes workings of ADOT's dedicated employees and their contributions to Arizona’s safety and economic vitality; these posts along with a year's worth of engagement metrics have positioned the office's blog as a paragon in its category.
According to the official ADOT news release, the Office of Communications and Public Involvement is not just about winning awards but also plays a crucial role in supporting various agency priorities through a multitude of channels including public outreach, media relations, social media, graphics, video production, web operations, internal communications and more, all while ensuring employee recognition is not left by the wayside.
