HARRISBURG – At a ceremony Wednesday, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll recognized 30 PennDOT employees for their outstanding performance with the Star of Excellence Award, PennDOT’s highest recognition. Two employees from PennDOT’s District 2, which represents Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin, and Potter counties, were among the honorees.
Local winners Jennifer Fantechi, St. Marys, and Pam Washell, Houtzdale, were honored at an awards luncheon at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg.
“Our employees work hard to provide the very best transportation services to Pennsylvanians, and the millions of people who travel through the Commonwealth every day,” said Carroll. “Our Stars of Excellence exemplify a dedication to public service and a strong work ethic, and I’m proud to honor them today.”
Fantechi’s career with PennDOT began about three years ago as a clerical assistant 2 for the maintenance unit. While serving in this role, she created an all-encompassing desk manual that serves as a guide for all clerks within the district. After a promotion to management analyst 2, she developed a SharePoint site to serve as a convenient, one-stop shop that staff from each division can access to find important information related to safety, training and more. She also recognized the need for a training tool to better support equipment operators and collaborated with procurement staff to purchase a state-of-the-art truck simulator. She also implemented “Maintenance Matters,” a quarterly meeting designed to close the communication gap between district office and field staff. She is recognized by coworkers not for her exemplary customer service, but as someone who is a driven leader dedicated to the Commonwealth.
Washell’s career with PennDOT started as an intern in the IT unit, where she worked four seasons. She was hired full-time as a real estate technician in 2006 and promoted to real estate specialist in 2008, right of way administrator 1 in 2020, and right of way administrator 2 in 2023. Her recent efforts to refine the District’s Notice of Intent to Enter process increased efficiency by ensuring critical legal determinations are stored in a centralized location to preserve institutional knowledge that might otherwise be lost. She asked to begin managing the district’s right-of-way agreements, which was previously the responsibility of the design project manager or design services engineer. By taking ownership of this process, she streamlined the workflow, eliminated unnecessary steps, and improved overall efficiency. She leads by example, encourages her staff to provide the highest level of customer service, and consistently works to make her unit more effective.
The Star of Excellence Awards are presented annually to employees who represent the department’s values of service, performance and integrity. The recipients represent a variety of organizational positions, ranging from highway maintenance workers to driver and vehicle services employees, to traffic control specialists, engineers and more.