About NLTAPA
Orientation for Executive Committee Members

Executive Summary

EC members need to be equipped with information necessary to understand and do their work on behalf of their region and the Program as a whole. The Orientation Program was designed to support this process and includes three main components: Orientation Packet, Orientation Mentor, and Orientation Involvement.

The Orientation Packet will serve to bring new EC members up to speed on the current activities of NLTAPA, clarify the expectations and responsibilities of an EC member, and describe the roles and responsibilities of our partner organizations. The Packet will also provide sufficient information about the history, goals, and structure of NLTAPA in order to provide a context for the current activities of NLTAPA and provide support to the EC members' current work.

There is no time minimum or maximum for orientation. The new EC member will evaluate his/her own progress through a self assessment type activity after the first six months of serving on the EC. If the orientation was successful, then the EC member "graduates from the program." If the orientation was not successful, then it must be determined if the problem was with the program design or execution. If the problem was execution, then the mentor and new EC member must identify and rectify the problem.

Each new EC member will be assigned a current EC member as a mentor to review and supplement the materials in the Orientation Packet and to answer any questions. In addition, the region's outgoing EC member will sufficiently orient the new member to the history of their work and involvement with NLTAPA, including important information specific to the region (i.e. preferred method and level of communication, key decision makers and opinion leaders, regional meeting dates, regional challenges, etc.).

The EC mentor will also coach the new EC member to get involved with current NLTAPA activities by identifying an appropriate work product/interest match.

It is recommended that the new EC member communicate with the outgoing EC member and begin reviewing the Orientation Packet prior to the National LTAP Conference when they will be introduced to their mentor.

When orientation is complete, the new EC member should be up to speed on the current activities and history of NLTAPA, and understand the expectations and responsibilities of an EC member and the roles and responsibilities of our partner organizations. In addition, the new EC member should manage an appropriate level of communication with their region and an appropriate level of involvement with NLTAPA goals and objectives.

About NLTAPA

Operating Structure

The National Local Technical Assistance Program Association (NLTAPA) is an independent, not for profit, organization comprised of all 58 LTAP and TTAP Centers in the US and its territories. NLTAPA member Centers are represented by an Executive Committee (EC) composed of ten members, one from each of the ten geographical regions. Executive Committee members are elected by the Centers in each region and serve a term of three years. The officers of the Association are the President, Secretary and Treasurer. Both the President and Secretary are nominated by the Executive Committee, elected by the Centers, and serve one year terms. The Treasurer is selected from the general membership of the NLTAPA.

The EC works on behalf of the NLTAPA members in the six primary focus areas: Leadership, Partnerships, Internal Communications, External Communications, Training Needs and Resource Development, and Professional Development. Each EC member or team of EC members is responsible for identifying the specific objectives under each focus area, prioritizing these objectives, and then developing a work plan and budget. The six focus area work plans & budgets are negotiated into a single Work Plan and presented to the NLTAPA members during the Annual NLTAPA General Business Meeting at the National LTAP Conference.

Once this work plan has been validated by the member Centers, the responsible EC member(s) develop a work group to accomplish the tasks and ensure that the work being done addresses the needs of the member Centers. The EC member(s) will also be responsible for keeping the Executive Committee and the member Centers informed of work group activities and progress. The goal of this structure is to create line responsibility for activities and reporting within the EC and to provide a vehicle for increased Center involvement.

The focus areas are defined as follows along with the responsible EC member(s):

• Leadership - Act in an advisory capacity to FHWA and internal Program Stakeholders to identify Program needs, devise Program initiatives, and communicate Program accomplishments. (NLTAPA President)
• Partnerships - Develop, nurture and evaluate national and international NLTAPA business partnerships that benefit member Centers. (Marie Walsh and Patsy Anderson)
• Internal Communications - Ensure communication and collaboration between the Association and the Centers, and among the Centers. (Chris Ahmadjian)
• External Communications - Represent Centers to FHWA, our external partners, elected officials, national associations and the transportation community. (Terry McNinch)
• Training Product Needs & Resource Development - Determine LTAP/TTAP training product needs, identify existing training product resources and recommend training product and resource development strategies. (Ed Stellfox and George Huntington)
• Professional Development - Provide opportunities for Centers to improve internal staff and trainer capacity. (Linda Howe-Steiger)

Expectations of a NLTAPA Representative

• Serve your region. You are your region's voice at the table. To be effective in this role, communicate regularly with your region and seek input on major issues. Communicate back to your region on a regular basis about the work of the EC and the Association.
• Serve all the Centers. In all decision-making, communicate your region's perspective, but ensure your vote reflects what you discern to be the needs of all the member-Centers, not just your region.
• Serve your fellow EC members. The Executive Committee needs active, committed members, working together, and with every member pulling his/her own weight.
• Serve NLTAPA's partners and fellow LTAP stakeholders. Uphold strong and constructive relationships with these groups.
• Expect to attend the majority of EC meetings, Association meetings, and EC conference calls. If you cannot attend a meeting or conference call, designate someone from your region to attend in your place.
• Committees are the lifeblood of the Association. EC members are expected to serve on committees and to complete the work of their committees in a timely manner.
• Read and comment on reports and minutes sent to the EC.
• Prepare for meetings.
• Be a leader. In your role as an EC member, you are the "face" of the Association. Represent the Association with professionalism and honesty, and respect. Be proactive in your work to improve service to the Centers and to improve the LTAP Program.

NLTAPA History

Patsy Anderson, Director, Kentucky LTAP: "Centers were gradually added to LTAP over a seven-year period (1982-89). In the early years, Center directors were in close contact as they developed their programs. As more centers were added, it became increasingly difficult to communicate effectively, especially in the days before email was prevalent. During these formative years, it was important for new centers to reap the benefits of knowledge gained through experience from the older centers.

Discussions began in 1989 about the need for a formal vehicle through which to communicate and strengthen centers' ability to provide services to the local communities. It was also believed that our primary funding agency, the Federal Highway Administration, would benefit from having one primary point of contact for information concerning center activities, challenges and concerns. At the 1990 LTAP annual meeting, a task force was formed to explore the possibilities of creating an Association and the Association began operations in 1991.

Our activities during the first few years centered on assisting each other with our daily operations. We did not immediately begin outreach to other groups or entertain the idea of partnerships. As LTAP matured and gained experience, it became apparent that the Association needed to begin external communications, as well as internal."

Hank Lambert, Director, Vermont LTAP: "My recollection is that our intent was two fold. We wanted to have national recognition as a unified organization and as a presence. We saw the potential to partner with other organizations. We could gain immediate benefit from associating with other professional groups, and they in turn could learn about the needs and aspirations of smaller agencies that manage the bulk of road miles in the country. Collaboration, enhanced communication, and mutual respect leads to a better all around transportation systems. Everybody wins.

Secondly, in the long run we felt our national organization would be more effective in getting our message out to policy makers, thus garnering financial support for the many effective things LTAP Centers do.

Early activities were to create and approve bylaws; achieve 501 ( C ) (3) status; draft and execute partnership agreements with APWA, NACE, and AASHTO; and hold quarterly meetings of the EC. We also crafted the first strategic plan."

Partnering

The Advisory Committee on Partnerships (ACP) was established in 2002 with the sole purpose to assist and guide individual Centers and NLTAPA when developing potential new relationships or expanding action plans with current partners. The ACP grew out of the Partnering Guidelines Subcommittee which was originally assigned the task of establishing partnering guidelines and standards for NLTAPA and Centers. The ACP is currently (as of 12/05) the only standing committee of NLTAPA (besides the EC). Additionally, "partnerships" was identified as one of the six Focus Areas identified in the new NLTAPA Operational Structure. The ACP is essentially that working group.

A fundamental role of NLTAPA in the partnering process has been to nurture public, private and professional relationships/partnerships on a national basis in order to assist Centers in delivering, improving or expanding local client services. To nurture these relationships includes the requirements to recruit and support active NLTAPA liaisons to specific partnerships and to provide oversight to ensure accountability of the partnership relationships. The ACP is currently examining the philosophy of NLTAPA's approach to formal partnerships as well important, yet less formal relationships.

The ACP is charged with monitoring the existing partnerships and evaluating the opportunities and requests for new partnerships. A process to evaluate potential formal partnerships is in place and methods to evaluate existing partnerships are being developed.

NLTAPA has four formal partnerships as of 12/31/05. These include the National Association of County Engineers (NACE), American Public Works Association (APWA), the Salt Institute, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).