Key Personnel

Director’s Primary Administrative Staff
Sandra Jones Photo

Sandra Jones

sjones@njrati.org
info@njrati.org
(304) 696-7098
(304) 696-6661 fax

Bob Plymale Photo

Robert H. “Bob” Plymale

Director and CEO
bob.plymale@njrati.org
(304) 696-7098
(304) 696-6661 fax

As CEO and director of the Rahall Transportation Institute (RTI), Bob Plymale leads a dynamic team of business, academic and research professionals working to enhance safety and economic development opportunities through transportation. Under his leadership, RTI has received two US patents, developed the National Maritime Enhancement Institute at RTI, and produced the award winning Electronic Commercial Drivers Licensing (eCDL) program.

In addition to managing the day-to-day operations at RTI, Plymale is a highly effective and well-regarded public servant. He is currently serving his fifth term in the WV State Senate, District 5. He is chairman of the Senate Education Committee and serves on the Budget Conferees, Rules, Finance, Pensions, Confirmations, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees respectively.

In 2003, Plymale was appointed by Governor Wise to the Board of Control for the Southern Regional Education Board. He was reappointed by Governor Joe Manchin in 2006 and now serves on the executive committee. In 2004, Plymale was named to the National Council of State Governments (NCSL) National Task Force on “No Child Left Behind” and from 2005-2006, he was Chairman of the NCSL Education Committee and Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education. He is also President of the Council of University Transportation Centers.

He is the recipient of the Presidential Citation from Glenville State College, a Distinguished Service Award from the West Virginia Athletic Directors Association, and the Michael Prestera Award of Excellence in recognition of his efforts to improve the lives of individuals living with behavioral health issues. In 2005, Plymale received the Distinguished Service to the Community Award from Marshall University. More recently, he was named co-President of the Keith Albee Theater Performing Arts Center, Inc., and has been instrumental in reviving and maintaining this Huntington landmark as a performing arts and community center.

Plymale is a graduate of Marshall University.

Frank Betz

Chief Operating Officer
fbetz@njrati.org
(304) 696-3877

As Chief Operating Officer, Frank Betz is responsible for establishing, managing and implementing the goals for the Rahall Transportation Institute. Working with all departments, Frank ensures performance goals and objectives are achieved while adhering to project timelines and budget parameters. Utilizing an integrated approach combining strategy implementation and operational processes with an emphasis on research and technology, Frank’s analytical skills and business acumen make him highly effective in managing across disciplines to achieve accurate knowledge reporting and yielding positive outcomes.

Prior to joining RTI, Frank performed a variety of functions as an independent business consultant, working with some of the country’s top product and technology firms including Hewlett Packard. Frank is a former VP of Finance & Operations for a multi-state healthcare company and also served as a European Strategic Planning Manager and Software Product Manager for 3M France, where he worked cross-functionally with business unit heads and product managers in streamlining their operations. Adept at developing complicated financial models and negotiating strategic alliances, he was cofounder and CIO of a multinational internet technology company based in Silicon Valley. Frank has also worked as a research coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania and has a plethora of experience working with government agencies.

Frank earned his Master’s degree in International Business from Pepperdine University, Institut de Gestion Sociale and from La Sorbonne in Paris, France. Fluent in French, he is also a published author in the field of psychology and holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Junwook Chi, Ph.D. Photo

Junwook Chi, Ph.D.

Director of Transportation Economics
jchi@njrati.org
(304) 696-3311

Dr. Junwook Chi is Director of Transportation Economics at RTI and the Center for Business and Economic Research at Marshall University. His research solves transportation economics and regional economic development challenges, primarily focusing on rural areas, by using time-series, cross-section, limited dependant variable, forecasting, cost and benefit, and regional economic impact analyses using statistical packages and Input-Output models. He specializes in strategic freight analysis, truck regulation, tolling, intermodal transportation, demand forecast, pricing behavior and price discrimination models particularly as they relate to rail, inland waterways, highways and air in rural areas.

Dr. Chi currently manages the multi-year transportation research and economic development projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and West Virginia Department of Transportation. He also coordinates research conducted by his alma mater, North Dakota State University, Texas A&M, the University of Tennessee and the University of Toledo. In addition, he supports West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) with various projects. He also completed the West Virginia State High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Plan in 2009 which presents an overview of the IPR system, identifies challenges of existing passenger rail services and provides suggestions and recommendations for a more efficient system in West Virginia. He is currently working on the West Virginia State Freight Rail Plan and other rail and highway projects for WVDOT.

Since 2009, Chi has served as a member of the Committee on Transportation and Economic Development for the Transportation Research Board. He has also been a member of the Transportation Research forum since 2008. He received his Ph.D. from North Dakota State University. His dissertation was an econometric analysis of demand for air-passenger service and carrier’s pricing strategies.

Patrick J. Donovan Photo

Patrick J. Donovan

Director, Maritime and Intermodal Transportation, RTI and Director, National Maritime Enhancement Institute, Marshall University
pdonovan@njrati.org
(304) 696-2906

As Director, Maritime and Intermodal Transportation for the Nick J. Rahall, II, Appalachian Transportation Institute (RTI), Patrick J. Donovan is responsible for establishing, managing and implementing programs to facilitate the development of transportation facilities that support the Appalachian Region’s integration into the global economy.

Patrick works with a variety of federal, state and local stakeholders, as well as potential private partners, to help facilitate and establish public-private partnerships for the economic development, operations and financial management of intermodal transportations projects throughout the Appalachian Region.

Patrick also is the Director of the National Maritime Enhancement Institute at Marshall University.

Prior to joining RTI, Patrick was Executive Director of the West Virginia Public Port Authority. In this role, he helped establish five Local Port Authority Districts throughout West Virginia; facilitated the establishment of the model public–private partnership, which led to the implementation and opening of the Heartland Corridor; and pioneered the first public-private intermodal rail terminal partnership strategy for the State of West Virginia.

He is a recognized Inland Navigation Leader and serves as Vice President of the National Waterways Conference, Inc. He is the Vice-Chairman of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Standing Committee on Waterway. Patrick also serves as the State of West Virginia’s appointed representative on the Appalachian Regional Commission’s, Network Appalachia Study Group. Patrick is a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Waterways and is founding member of SmartRivers. Patrick currently serves in an advisory role to the Tri-State Airport Authority and the Cabell-Wayne Local Port Authority District.

Patrick earned a Master’s degree in Geography from Marshall University Graduate College, and also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Marshall University.

David Lawson, M.S.

Chief Information Officer
lawsond@njrati.org
(304) 696-4872

David B. Lawson is the Chief Information Officer at RTI. Since joining RTI in 2003, he has Lawson has overseen the acquisition and implementation of the first and second generation of the Institute’s computer and storage clusters, which are the backbone of the business and research components of RTI; as a result, the institute’s capabilities in processing and managing the tremendous amount of data associated with transportation research projects have increased dramatically.

Lawson brings more than twenty years of experience in Information Systems and Computer Science to RTI, including five years as Vice President of a software engineering company and several more years as a Principal Engineer and Software Architect. This experience is a key factor in his success at leading large information systems projects that have been crucial to RTI and transportation agencies at the state and federal level that depend on the institute.

Before joining RTI, Lawson served in a similar role at the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing. He also works as an adjunct faculty member at the Marshall Community and Technical College and in the College of Science. Lawson is a third generation Marshall graduate with a B.S in Computer Science and an M.S in Information Systems. He is pursuing a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and expects to complete the degree in 2011.

Diana Long, Ed.D., CEcD

Diana Long, Ed.D., CEcD

Director of Workforce Development
dlong@njrati.org
(304) 542-3303

As Director of Workforce Development, Dr. Long enables workers from all over the country to receive the training and development essential to their developing careers. Diana’s passion to develop and serve others has been one key to her successful career. Since her beginnings at RTI in 2005, Diana has assisted more than 1500 professionals through completing more than 60 courses.

She has significant experience in all aspects of workforce development and has designed numerous workplace education courses and seminars, including: online learning modules, skill/knowledge validation; professional development courses; license-required continuing education; technical skill upgrades; “train the trainer” courses; and adult basic education and refresher courses. She is also Principal Investigator for RTI’s workforce development research and technology transfer projects.

Diana has been involved with the classroom setting for many years. She has earned a Bachelor of Science in English/Speech Education from the University of Charleston and a Master’s Degree in Technical and Adult Education from Marshall University. After several years of working for corporations and public education, Diana went on to achieve her doctorate of education from West Virginia University in 1991.

In 2000, Diana was the first higher education professional in West Virginia to obtain certification in Economic and Community Development by the International Economic Development Council. She has served as an adjunct professor in Leadership Studies and Research.

Andrew P. Nichols, PhD, PE

Andrew P. Nichols, PhD, PE

Director, Intelligent Transportation Systems
anichols@njrati.org
(304) 696-3203

Dr. Andrew Nichols conducts research in the general area of Intelligent Transportation Systems, with emphasis on traffic signal systems and advanced traveler information systems. He also conducts research in highway safety, work zones, commercial vehicle weight enforcement, technology evaluation, sensor accuracy, and transportation data management. He has multi-year projects with the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) in the areas of traffic signal system management, ITS evaluation, and 511 system management, as well as other specific projects funded through the research division. He manages the WVDOT Satellite Traffic Management Center in Huntington, WV. As a faculty member at Marshall University, Dr. Nichols has served as a co-PI on two engineering education projects funded by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Nichols teaches courses in Transportation Engineering, Highway Design, Geomatics, and Engineering Economy in the College of Information Technology and Engineering at Marshall University.

Dr. Nichols is a member of the TRB Committee on Highway Traffic Monitoring and serve on the TRB Expert Task Group on LTPP Traffic Data Collection and Analysis. Dr. Nichols is a member of ITS America and served as co-chair for the 2010 National Rural ITS Conference in Huntington, WV. He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASC), Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), and the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Dr. Nichols received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University. As an undergraduate student, he completed the cooperative education program with the West Virginia Department of Transportation, working in bridge design and construction inspection for three semesters. He received his Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy from Purdue University. His Master’s thesis developed a set of guidelines for deploying closed loop traffic signal systems using two different types of traffic signal controllers. His doctoral dissertation examined the accuracy of weigh-in-motion system data and developed a quality control procedure for detecting questionable data and failing sensors.

Prof. Wael Zatar, Ph.D.

Prof. Wael Zatar, Ph.D.

Director, Innovations and Asset Management of Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure Systems
zatar@marshall.edu
(304) 696-6043

Dr. Wael Zatar is the Director for Innovations and Asset Management of Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure Systems at the Nick J. Rahall II Transportation Institute. He is also a Professor of Civil and Structural Engineering in the College of Information Technology and Engineering at Marshall University, where he directs the Weisberg Engineering Structural and Materials Experimental and Computational Labs. His key contributions include the development of retrofit techniques for existing structures using advanced FRP composites, corrosion deterioration and mitigation, post-earthquake and other hazard mitigation plans, and deployment of high performance materials in transportation infrastructures.

Dr. Zatar is a Member and Communication Coordinator of the TRB AFF80 Committee on Fiber Reinforced Polymers Committee. He serves on the TRB AFN20 Committee on Properties of Concrete. He sits on several national and international Structural Engineering Code and Fiber Reinforced Composite committees. He serves as a reviewer for 15 International Civil Engineering Journals. He has been an invited speaker in 43 universities and technical institutions. He currently serves as the Vice President of the West Virginia Section of the American Society for Civil Engineers. He has provided several short training courses on Fiber Reinforced Composites, Risk assessment and Mitigation, High Performance Construction Materials, and Structural Engineering.

In addition to his strong academic record, Dr. Zatar has accumulated a significant industrial expertise record resulting from six years of full-time employment and 15 years part-time employment in designing and rehabilitation of Civil Engineering infrastructures. He organized several national conferences, meetings and technical sessions of national meetings. He has organized and chaired 35 regional conferences and meetings.

Dr. Zatar has been awarded more than 50 professional awards and honors, including the 2009 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Distinguished Educator Achievement Award. Dr. Zatar has served as a Delegate on few NSF International Workshops on the Use of FRP for Sustainable Structures. He has been appointed to the TRB Expert Task Group for the Strategic Highway Research Program II (SHRP2) of the National Academics and to the TRB Expert Task Group for NDT/NDE of Tunnels, Strategic Highway Research Program II of the National Academics. He is a member of the Editorial Review Board of the ASCE Journal of Constructed Facilities. He has initiated, directed and participated in 45 funded projects from governmental and state agencies, and disseminated research findings through authoring 100+ journal, conference and technical publications. He has published and written chapters in five books. He has attended and presented articles to more than 130 conferences, workshops, and short courses. He has served as a member of 16 professional societies, two honor societies and 25 National Committees.