North Texas Commission

NTC Presents Prestigious TEAM Awards at Texas Transportation Summit

8.11.05

Irving, August 11 — The North Texas Commission (NTC) presented its Seventh Annual Transportation Excellence Award in Mobility (TEAM) to Steve McCullough, city manager of Irving, and to the City of Irving for significant contributions in the improvement of mobility in North Texas. The awards were presented at the Eighth Annual Texas Transportation Summit during the luncheon on August 11 at the Omni Mandalay Hotel in Las Colinas. The luncheon featured U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison as the keynote speaker and David O. Russell, vice president of external affairs for Verizon and chairman of the North Texas Commission, as the TEAM award presenter. John Carpenter, vice president of corporate affairs for American Airlines, was recognized for the donation of airline tickets for the award winners.

One of the primary focuses during this year’s summit was the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Interstate Highway System. Highways, mass transit, high-speed rail, air and sea, transportation funding, security, safety and financing issues were among the topics of discussion.

NTC honored Stephen McCullough as the individual TEAM winner for his efforts to improve Texas highways and reduce traffic. McCullough, hired by the City of Irving in 1975, worked in the departments of finance, police and personnel prior to joining the City Manager’s Office in 1978, where he has served the City for 30 years. McCullough became Deputy City Manager in 1986 and was appointed City Manager in 1993. In 1990 and 1994, he was appointed by the governor of the State of Texas to the Municipal Retirement System Board of Trustees and served as chairman in 1992 and 1995. McCullough recognized the importance of transportation and mobility in the North Texas Region; and through his vision and leadership, the first annual transportation summit was created in 1998.

McCullough has served under nine Mayors as city manager. In a Dallas Morning News editorial published on May 27, 2004, Steve McCullough was named as “one of the city managers that other city managers admire.” Steve has been married to his wife, Dolores, for over 25 years, and they have a daughter, Shannon, and a son, Ryan.

The North Texas Commission honored the City of Irving, the organization TEAM winner, for its commitment to the planning, organizing and implementation of the Annual Transportation Summit for the past eight years since its inception. The City of Irving founded the summit – the largest and most comprehensive transportation program in the state – and serves as the host each year, securing the necessary funding and event sponsors. The City of Irving is known for its many successes in transportation advocacy and commitment to improve all modes of transportation in Texas. Mayor Herbert Gears, along with Irving City Council members, received the TEAM award on behalf of the City of Irving.

In 1999, the NTC Board of Directors established the TEAM award to recognize significant contributions to improving mobility and transportation in North Texas. This award is given to both an individual and an organization that have contributed to the ongoing success of meeting Texas transportation challenges. NTC chose the Texas Transportation Summit as the venue to present the award because it is the one time during the year when transportation officials come together to address the latest trends, challenges and issues facing the Lone Star State. Last year, the North Texas Commission presented Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), and the NCTCOG Regional Transportation Council with the TEAM awards for their efforts to enhance transportation.

The summit started as a modest effort, sponsored by the City of Irving and co-sponsored by the North Texas Commission, focusing primarily on highway issues in August of 1998. The four-hour event attracted less than 100 elected, appointed and interested public officials. It has evolved into one of the largest and most comprehensive multi-modal, most attended transportation conferences in the United States. The four-day summit boasts over 1,100 registrants from over 40 states and international ports of call, whose sponsors represent over 100 cities, counties, port authorities, transit agencies and business entities. The summit features 150 speakers, 28 panel discussions, and 18 plenary sessions covering every mode of transportation.

Established in 1971, the North Texas Commission is a regional non-profit consortium of businesses, cities, counties, chambers of commerce, economic development entities and higher education institutions in the North Texas Region. The Commission is the one and only public-private regional organization committed to enhancing the overall economic vitality and quality of life of North Texas. NTC improves the economy, infrastructure and lifestyle of North Texas by leading and directing regionally cooperative initiatives to accomplish objectives in four primary areas: transportation, aviation, environment and long-range strategies.