Culpeper District Newsletter - March/April 2024

VOLUME 31 | ISSUE 2 

MARCH / APRIL 2024 

District Office staff gather for a group photo on Go Orange Day, where all are encouraged to 

wear the color orange to promote and show support for work zone safety. More Go Orange 

Day photos from around the district are on pages 4 and 5. 

PUBLISHED FOR AND ABOUT VDOT’S CULPEPER DISTRICT TEAM 

Albemarle Culpeper Fauquier Fluvanna Greene Louisa Madison Orange Rappahannock 

Annual Vigil at Workers Memorial 

Remembers Fallen VDOT Employees 

Sec. of Transportation W. Sheppard Miller III delivers the keynote 

address at the April 17 event remembering the 134 agency 

employees who lost their lives while on the job. 

One highlight of Work Zone Awareness Week 

is the Vigil in remembrance of the 134 VDOT 

workers who died on the job. Their names are 

etched in the granite Memorial at an overlook on 

Interstate 64 at Afton Mountain. 

The VDOT Workers Memorial was conceived 

by a group of VDOT employees and designed 

by the daughter of a VDOT employee. Funds 

for the Memorial were raised through private 

donations and construction began in early 2004. 

The Memorial was dedicated in September 2004, 

and beginning in April 2005 a solemn ceremony 

has been held there during Work Zone Awareness 

Week to remember those fallen workers. 

Keynote speaker Secretary of Transportation 

Continues on page 2

PAGE 2 MAR / APR 2024 

Vigil (continued) 

W. Sheppard Miller III, said “What a marvelous 

design we have here — 20 years later — 

representing the diversity of our VDOT workers 

as seen in the three profiles of workers wearing 

hard hats cut into black, white, and gray granite. 

And the fourth and final worker you see behind 

me is outlined but missing — representing those 

who went to work on our highways one day and 

never made it back home to their families. 

“And that’s why we’re here today…to 

remember those VDOT workers who lost their 

lives, and to raise public awareness so that more 

names are not added to this memorial.” 

This year’s Vigil was the first without the 

long-time executive director of DRIVE SMART 

Virginia, Janet Brooking, who died of cancer 

last November. Kristin Pettway, DRIVE SMART’s 

interim director, remembered Janet’s passion for 

highway safety and her presence at the annual 

Vigil. She cited statistics that over the past five 

years there have been 21,000 crashes in highway 

work zones, with more than 8,500 injuries and 91 

deaths. She reminded the audience of the danger 

Vigil attendees and DE Sean Nelson, pictured at far right, look on as Major Todd M. Taylor of the 

Virginia State Police, pictured in front of the memorial, speaks about his respect for VDOT employees' 

dedication to serving Virginia despite the challenges they face. 

that highway workers face. “I can be assured that 

I can enter my workplace every day and feel safe 

and secure. Our highway workers deserve the 

same consideration.” 

Gordon Dixon, executive vice president of the 

Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance, 

remembered the six construction workers killed 

in the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott 

Key bridge near Baltimore. He said two major 

contributors to work zone crashes are speed 

and inattention. “It is all too easy to become 

engrossed in our smartphones, oblivious to the 

construction zones that demand our attention. By 

obeying speed limits and exercising caution, we 

can help prevent accidents and protect the lives 

of our fellow citizens.” 

Major Todd M. Taylor, deputy director of the 

Virginia State Police Bureau of Field Operations, 

spoke about the similarity of the challenges 

faced by law enforcement and VDOT staff. “We 

are both out in all hours of the day and night, 

in every weather condition, with trouble just a 

poor driver decision away…Yet we all do our 

chosen job — because we 

believe in the mission of 

safety and public service.” 

Taylor’s grandfather was 

a career VDOT employee, 

and he said that his own 

experiences have left him 

with great respect for the 

pride and dedication that 

VDOT staffers place in their 

work. 

VDOT Commissioner 

Stephen Brich reflected 

on the effort the agency 

puts into protecting its 

employees. “At VDOT, 

safety is our top priority, 

and we demonstrate that 

Continues on page 3

MAR / APR 2024 PAGE 3 

Compliments on Job Well Done 

Boyd Tavern AHQ 

“Thanks much for cleaning out my culvert. Nice 

and knowledgeable guys cleared it as best as 

possible. The culvert still has roots from the huge 

maple tree in it that will cause dire and leaves to 

collect in it again, but for now, it’s 85% open.” 

— Gerald Deane 

Yancey Mill AHQ 

“Thank you SO MUCH for mowing the brush 

on the bank so thoroughly!! We can see so much 

better when pulling out onto Jarmans. It looks 

great and you did it so quickly. THANK YOU to 

the moon and back.” 

— Erin Marley 

Marshall AHQ 

“Thank you for advertising the left lane 

passing law. I saw it on I-66 in Fairfax on 

April 24, posted it to Facebook and someone 

commented they had seen one on I-95. Very 

much appreciated. 

"After much careful observation it seems most 

drivers are NOT aware of the law. Some people 

still won’t understand so I encourage you to be 

more specific with the limited space you have. 

"Congrats for finding the best words so far. 

Clever — good use of a free resource (electronic 

sign) already at hand.” 

— Dan Stapleton 

Gordonsville AHQ 

“Thank you to the VDOT operator who 

stopped and shut off his equipment to 

allow horses and hounds to pass safely in 

Orange County this week (early March)." 

— Warner Granade 

Vigil (continued) 

with a commitment to using the best work zone safety practices, protective 

equipment, and technologies available. Those investments are made to 

protect our most valuable assets — our people. Without them, Virginia 

would not be able to deliver a world-class transportation network." 

Despite those efforts, Brich said, highway workers still face risks, as do 

the motorists navigating highway work zones. He urged drivers to obey 

speed limits, put down their phones and put full attention into safely 

driving through work zones. “Thousands of highway workers here in 

Virginia and across the country are counting on it.” 

The Commissioner, pictured at right, closed with a powerful message: 

“It has been 20 years since we broke ground, built, and dedicated this 

monument. I would gladly go the rest of my life without ever having to 

see a single name added to it.”


2024 WZAW: GO ORANGE DAY

MAR / APR 2024 

PAGE 5 

2024 WZAW: GO ORANGE DAY 

Culpeper District Kids Star in Video 

Work Zone Awareness Week: Here VDOT is a link to the families' video if you would like perspective 

to view it. 

A very special message for Work Zone Awareness Week 

2024 came from the children of Culpeper District families. 

We put out the call, and several employees took time off 

work and school to bring in their children who donned the 

appropriate personal protective equipment and sent the 

message out loud and clear. Please slow down through the 

work zone. We want our families to make it home safe. 

Scan QR code at right to watch the video. 

CULPEPER DISTRICT KIDS STAR IN WZAW VIDEO 

Work Zone Awareness Week: A Family Perspective 

A very special message for Work Zone Awareness Week 2024 came from the children of 

Culpeper District families. 

We put out the call, and several employees took time off work and school to bring in their 

children who donned the appropriate personal protective equipment and sent the message out 

loud and clear. 

Please slow down through the work zone. We want our families to make it home safe.


Service Awards 

District Engineer Sean Nelson 

said he likes to equate the years 

of service to the March Madness 

NCAA basketball tournament. 

For those with five years service, 

he recalled, “In 2019 anyone 

know who won?” The University 

of Virginia beat Texas Tech, he 

said, drawing some good-natured 

heckling from the Hokies in the 

audience. On the women’s side, 

Baylor beat Notre Dame. 

Ten years ago, in 2014, the 

University of Connecticut beat 

Kentucky, while in the women’s 

tournament, UConn also beat 

Notre Dame. 

Twenty years ago, in 2004, the 

UConn men beat Georgia Tech 

and women beat Tennessee to 

win the tournament. 

In 1999, UConn beat Duke, 

and the Perdue women also beat 

Duke. “I love seeing Duke lose,” 

he said. 

In 1994, Arkansas beat Duke, 

and the women of University of 

North Carolina beat Louisiana 

Tech. In an aside, he added, the 

women’s tournament was held 

in Richmond at the Richmond 

Coliseum. 

In 1989, 35 years ago, Michigan 

beat Seton Hall, and in the 

women’s tournament, Tennessee 

beat Auburn. 

Fifty years ago, in 1974, North 

Carolina State beat Marquette, 

and he told the group, “There 

was no women’s tournament,” 

which did not begin until 1982. 

That, he added, is an example of 

how much has changed. 

Service Years Recognized 

at Spring Awards Event 

Ben Atkins did his best to remain under the radar during 

the district’s most recent Service Awards event. But the 

senior natural resources 

specialist from Warrenton 

was unable to maintain 

his anonymity when the 

time came to honor his 50 

years of service. 

Led by Chief of Policy 

Angel Deem, pictured 

at right, the assembled 

group honored Ben with 

a standing ovation. 

Deem said, “I have 

to call out Ben Atkins 

for his incredible milestone of service and career with the 

department. He is a friendly face, always eager to help 

and provide support and guidance, and after 50 years he 

has a lot of that to offer. He is responsive and reliable, and 

I think you will agree that we need more of that in our 

world.” 

That recognition followed a gentle “roasting” — with 

slide show — by assistant environmental manager John 

Chiles. Chiles recounted Ben’s career at VDOT, which 

started shortly after his high school graduation. That 

50 YEARS OF SERVICE 

Ben Atkins, Environmental 

Continues on page 7


Service (continued) 

youthful Ben was captured by one of the photos in the slide show. 

Deem spoke of the commitment to public service exemplified by Ben Atkins, all those being honored, 

as well as her own career. She began as an intern during college. “I had no idea of the diversity of work 

available at a state DOT: history and architecture, archeology, hazardous materials, wetlands, noise; I was 

amazed. I had an incredible summer.” 

She stayed on as an hourly employee after the summer through the rest of her college years. “They 

Continues on page 8 


Otis Hasher, Zion Crossroads AHQ 


Joey Tinsley, Gordonsville AHQ 


C.W. Blosser, Warrenton AHQ; Darren Estes, Structure & 

Bridge; George Gray, Traffic Engineering; Wanda Robson, 

Business; Walter (Richie) Lillard, Traffic Engineering; Floyd 

Hitt, Warrenton AHQ; David Jenkins, Rappahannock AHQ. 

NOT PICTURED: Jeffrey Garr, Madison AHQ; Gregg Allen, 

Charlottesville Residency 


Larry Butler, Traffic Engineering 

Rick Crofford, Environmental; Mark Hartman, Environmental; 

Christine Perryman, Environmental; Jason Settle, Construction. 

NOT PICTURED: Donna Backe, Procurement



gave me a seat at the table knowing full well that I could contribute next to nothing to the conversation. 

I mention that because I want to suggest that you not underestimate the impact that can have on 

someone.” That internship turned into a career, and she switched jobs and assignments along the way, 

leading finally to her current position. 

She added, “Something that I’ve learned is that it almost always pays off to say yes, to raise your hand 

when everybody else looks the other way…I’ve found the benefits from doing that. More than a time or 

two I’ve done that and had no idea how I was going to pull it off. But I figured it out. Remember that I 

was encouraged to ask questions, to ask for help, and had modeled for me how to build relationships.” 

She also reminded the group how important it is to build and maintain those relationships, because 

that is what makes us successful. The workforce is changing, some VDOT staff works remotely, people 

move around more than ever before. “We have 

to constantly adapt, we’re not always going to 

have colleagues who have been with us for 20 

to 25 years…Gone are the days when someone 

can take six months or a year before they did 

meaningful work. We can’t do that anymore. 

We have to integrate new hires really quickly.” 

She added that, “Even if they only stay a few 

years, we want them to be contributors while 

they are here, and we want their experience to 

be a meaningful one. 


“I want to challenge all of us this morning to 

Shawn Beavon, Traffic Engineering; Angela Deal, Inventory 

Doyne Feaganes, Warrenton Residency; Frances Grimm, 

Accounting; Kevin Mozingo, Facilities; 

Chad Utz, Rappahannock AHQ 

Continues on page 9 


Richard Jones, Warrenton Equipment Shop; 

Chris Gibson, Stanardsville AHQ 


Justin Warfield, Location & Design; John Rose, Location & 

Design; Monacoe Ratliff, Rhoadesville AHQ; Timothy Gilbert, 

Zion Crossroads AHQ; David Gagne, Rhoadesville AHQ; 

Bryant Burke, Marshall AHQ. NOT PICTURED: David Nauman, 

Marshall AHQ; Sam Roach, West Culpeper AHQ



be generous toward one another, to give 

your time, to share your advice, to share 

your experiences, and welcome theirs. 

Listen to the advice of others, seek it; we 

don’t need to think the same way to be 

successful. Those different perspectives 

bring new ideas that make for better 

decision-making. It is the diversity of 

experiences that makes our teams 

stronger. The common ground is that 

the work we do serves the eight million 

people who call Virginia home, and the countless 

others who travel through our beautiful state.” 

Turning to the agency’s future, she said, “The 

work ahead is tremendous. In Culpeper you 

have over 300 projects valued at about $580 

million in the Six-Year Improvement Program. 

When combined with PE and delivery with the 

maintenance program, you have a lot to say ‘Grace’ 

over. In the district you maintain more than 10,000 

lane miles, more than 1,700 structures, more than 

130 signals, and the list goes on." 

Service award recipients and their supervisors enjoy breakfast at the event. 

Deem acknowledged the enormity of the tasks 

the agency has before it, and that the traveling 

public relies on VDOT to keep the transportation 

network safe every hour of every day. “It is neverending, 

kinda like laundry,” she smiled. 

“You may only hear about the problems or 

the complaints, but let me assure you that the 

leadership of this agency does notice. And I want 

to personally thank you for the work you do every 

day to make sure that the work gets done,” she 

added. 


Jeremy Breitung, District Equipment Shop; Todd Freeman, 

Traffic Engineering; Allen Harrison, Warrenton Equipment 

Shop; Kenneth Hurlock, Cuckoo AHQ; Joel Kauppila, 

Construction. NOT PICTURED: Michael Eutsler, Traffic 

Engineering; Antonio Laguardia, Culpeper Bridge Crew; 

Charles Simms, Roadesville AHQ. 


Timothy Kerns, Marshall AHQ; Trieu Nguyen, Location & 

Design; Nicole Pitman, Construction Inspection; Jacob Simmons, 

Warrenton Equipment Shop; Craig Simpson, Warrenton 

Residency; Calvin Vest, Construction Inspection; 

Hugh Yowell, Cville Residency


Mapping the Future of Maintenance 

A pat on the back for district’s paving planning team 

Every year, Project 

Management Engineer 

Jessica Coffey and District 

Pavement Manager Donnie 

Schoch have a big job to 

complete. They are at the 

heart of compiling massive 

amounts of data needed to 

design a year-long paving 

schedule for Culpeper 

District. 

Coffey says, “We did 16 

contracts last year.” Schoch 

adds, “$54 million worth.” 

When you ask them how 

this comes together, it’s no 

surprise one would finish the 

other’s sentence. “Donnie 

gets everything planned and picks the routes 

and segments and works through budgeting and 

picking what routes we’re going to pave, then 

I put it into the system, and get the contract 

documents together and the forms we need to 

file and fill out and have it ready to submit to 

Central Office.” 

The two work in tandem to get the job done 

and recently received recognition for their efforts 

at the bi-annual Paving Management Leadership 

Group or PMLG. 

Coffey attended the meeting virtually, but 

Schoch was there in person and recounted 

the unexpected praise, “They went through 

the agenda and then Central Office Program 

Administrator, Gegham Sahakyan got up and 

described how well we did the past year planning 

the projects, getting them submitted on time, 

and putting everything properly into ProjectWise, 

also saying we were very easy to work with and 

always on top of our game.” 

Coffey says, “I was surprised, they hadn’t done 

that before, so it was nice. This year was the 

biggest pavement program that I’ve ever been 

part of, so it was nice to hear some recognition.” 

Schoch is the first to say his colleague’s 

ingenuity bolstered their success. 

Coffey took it upon herself to create a mapping 

system to visualize the paving process, “A lot of 

people at VDOT know where routes are and spit 

off a route off the top of their head and know 

exactly what it looks like. I do not have that 

ability.” 

Coffey learned ArcGIS, and what do you know? 

“It was really nice to see it on a map and see it 

visually instead of a giant spreadsheet. I think a 

lot of other people felt that need as well.” 

In fact, other districts have shown interest 

in her mapping system and reached out for 

information. 

Continues on page 11


Future (continued) 

While paving planted the seed for the mapping 

idea, the geographic information system quickly 

branched out. 

They now have filters for all sorts of data they 

can quickly turn on and turn off. Schoch explains, 

“First, it started off just as a paving map, and 

then it became a paving and a ditching and a 

pipe map. Then [they added] signs, speed limits, 

[structures for] American with Disabilities Act. I 

mean, you name it, you can filter out projects. It’s 

stuff that we didn’t have before.” 

Coffey and Schoch agree, leadership in 

Culpeper District gives them the latitude to take 

innovative steps, and now receiving accolades 

from Central Office, Coffey says, “I think having 

recognition and showing, okay, this is what 

worked. Then, other districts can reach out and 

say, hey what did you do differently to clean up 

the contracts and make them more consistent 

across the state. I think recognition helps. It’s the 

first time I’ve ever received feedback from Central 

Office Construction division like that. It was nice 

to hear, yes, this worked, keep doing this.” 

They plan to. 

Orientation 

Events Welcome 

New Employees 

The district welcomed several new 

employees, pictured below, in the 

months of March and April. 

March 25 – Sandy Shackleford, Charlottesville Residency; Billy 

Mayo, Yancey Mills AHQ; Keven Lugo, District Structure and Bridge 

April 10 – Cameron Sheleva, Bealeton AHQ; Greg Perry, Keene 

AHQ; Jaxon Parrott, Louisa Bridge; Jacob Bailey, Gordonsville AHQ 

April 25 – Brandon Dawson, Charlottesville Bridge; Anthony 

Grimsley, Rappahannock AHQ; Seth Critzer, Rappahannock AHQ


Culpeper VAN Unveils 

District-Wide Digital Suggestion Box 

The Culpeper representatives on the VDOT 

Accelerator Network (VAN) have been busy 

contributing to statewide initiatives, but they are 

also working on ideas suggested within their own 

group. 

John Brunette and Walter Burke have developed 

an app, based on VAN collaboration, that will 

allow district employees to scan a QR code and 

access a form to submit suggestions or ideas for 

innovations. The QR code — see the graphic below 

— functions as a kind of digital suggestion box. 

Brunette explained, “Anyone can scan a QR 

code with their smartphone. That goes to a form 

that they can fill out. That form is sent to the 

Culpeper VAN team so they can work on the 

idea.” 

Walter Burke, who worked on the idea with 

John, added, “There are some staff who struggle 

with the ideaDRIVER format. We felt a good 

solution would be a Microsoft Word-based 

form where you enter basic information. Even 

the name is optional, and there is space to put 

information about the idea.” 

Brunette said once the Culpeper team receives 

the idea, “if it seems viable, we can work on it, 

improve if needed, and report back to the person 

who suggested it. It is a collaborative approach. 

It allows others from different sections and 

experience to help work on a solution.” 

Both Burke and Brunette stressed that, “There 

are no bad ideas.” The process they described 

starts with someone identifying a problem and 

submitting a possible solution. Then as the team 

“proofs” the solution, if it works it can be piloted 

and, if successful, can be offered statewide. 

The key, they said, is that everyone feels 

empowered to offer solutions to problems 

they encounter in their daily work. The U.S. 15 

turnkey maintenance project in Louisa County 

is a good example of the concept. That idea 

did not come from the VAN. Jessica Coffey and 

her team identified a problem, and rather than 

asking someone else to solve it, she and the 

Maintenance team developed a solution. 

Have a problem or idea you have always 

thought needs to be addressed but never 

knew exactly where to start? 

Well, the wait is finally over because the 

Culpeper VAN is here to assist with 

advancing your ideas into the future! 

Scan the QR Code to submit an idea:


Career Development Training Class 

Available dates: 

• Tuesday, July 23 

• Tuesday, Oct. 22 

DIstrict Office Computer Training Room 

1601 Orange Road, Culpeper, VA 22701 

This class is open to any VDOT employee 

interested in examining their own career 

goals, exploring professional development 

opportunities within VDOT, and improving 

their interviewing skills and resume. 

Emphasis will be placed on understanding 

competencies and improving resume, cover 

letter, and interview skills. Class duration is 

approximately two hours. Register for your 

preferred date in VDOT U. 

Talent Acquisition Training: Interviewer 

Skills & Skills Assessments 

Available dates: 

• Tuesday, July 23 

• Tuesday, Oct. 22 

DIstrict Office Computer Training Room 

1601 Orange Road, Culpeper, VA 22701 

This class is open to VDOT managers, 

supervisors, and designated TOIIs. Attracting 

and selecting talented individuals is a strategic 

process requiring properly trained interview 

panels and/or skills assessors. 

This course describes the legal requirements 

of the employee selection process, the use 

of behavioral interviewing techniques, and 

provides an overview of the roles of the 

interview panel and skills assessors. For those 

who need it, the skills assessor training portion 

will be offered after the interviewing portion 

is completed. The duration for both classes is 

approximately three hours. Register for your 

preferred date in VDOT U. 

BENEFITS CONTACTS 

Anthem Member Services 

Medical, prescription drug, optional vision/hearing 

1-800-552-2682 

anthem.com/cova 

Flexible spending accounts (FSA) 

1-877-451-7244 

benefitadminsolutions.com/anthem 

Employee Assistance Program 

1-855-223-9277 

anthemeap.com 

COVA HealthAware (Aetna) 

Medical, dental, EAP, prescription drug, vision, 

hearing 

1-855-414-1901 

covahealthaware.com 

Kaiser Permanente 

Medical insurance 

1-800-777-7902 

kp.org/mida/commonwealthofvirginia 

Delta Dental 

Dental insurance 

1-888-335-8296 

deltadentalva.com 

Securian Group & Optional Life Insurance 

Group and optional life insurance 

1-800-441-2258 

varetire.org/members/benefits/life-insurance/ 

index.asp 

Alight (formerly ReedGroup) 

Disability insurance 

1-877-928-7021 

varetire.org/members/disability/vsdp/index.asp 

reedgroup.com/vrs/vrs-employee-virginiasickness-disability-program/ 

MC Innovations (MCI) 

Workers’ Compensation Administrator 

1-804-649-2288 

covwc.com 

MissionSquare Retirement (formerly ICMA-RC) 

Defined compensation plans 

1-877-327-5261 

varetire.org/members/Benefits/definedcontribution/index.asp 

Virginia Retirement System (VRS) 

State retirement benefits 

1-888-VARETIR (1-888-827-3847) 

varetire.org

Culpeper District Newsletter - March/April 2024

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