Speakers
Michelle May, Manager
Manager, Highway Safety Program, Ohio Department of Transportation
Michelle May has been a member of the Ohio Department of Transportation for 37 years, serving in communication and program management roles. For the past 19 years, she has managed ODOT’s $185 million Highway Safety Program, which provides technical expertise and funding to state and local governments to prevent severe crashes on Ohio roads. She also manages a statewide coalition of organizations focused on reducing traffic deaths and serious injuries, including those involving distracted driving, speeding, pedestrians, and young drivers.
Eric Hemphill, PE
Director of Traffic and Incident Management, North Texas Tollway Authority
Eric Hemphill is the North Texas Tollway Authority’s (NTTA) director of system and incident management. At NTTA, the System and Incident Management Department is responsible for the safety of all employees and customers on the roadways. The Department includes Loss Prevention, Emergency Management, Safety, and Traffic Engineering. In addition, the Department operates a 24/7 Command Center responsible for dispatching State Troopers and Roadway Customer Service (Roadside Assistance) anywhere on the system. The Command Center is also responsible for monitoring traffic cameras, deploying messages on dynamic message signs, and monitoring weather sensors. Hemphill also volunteers in his community, having served in various roles with the Texas Public Works Association, Corporate Challenge benefiting Texas Special Olympics, the City of Murphy, Texas, and his local school PTA Board of Directors. He is also a panel member on a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) project to develop traffic control devices and countermeasures to reduce wrong-way driving incidents. Hemphill earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas.