[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7880]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING VINCE HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF DENHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 25, 2012

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, my colleague, Mr. Cardoza, and I rise today 
to acknowledge and honor Vince Harris, Executive Director of the 
Stanislaus Council of Governments, StanCOG, to thank him for his 
leadership and direction of transportation improvements in the Central 
Valley.
  StanCOG is the Metropolitan Planning Organization, MPO, and the 
Regional Transportation Planning Agency, RTPA, for the Stanislaus 
Region with responsibility for developing and delivering the Regional 
Transportation Plan, RTP. This plan includes a diverse mix of transit, 
non-motorized, highway and local street and road projects to be 
completed in Stanislaus County over the next 25 years. During Mr. 
Harris' tenure as Executive Director, he was responsible for all agency 
functions including regional transportation planning, program 
administration, financial management and budget control.
  Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering 
Technology from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master's in Public 
Administration from California State University in Hayward. His career 
spans 35 years, with transportation assignments in both the public and 
private sector in California, Texas, Utah, and Washington, DC.
  Prior to joining StanCOG, Mr. Harris was the Deputy General Manager 
of San Francisco Municipal Railway's Construction Division. In this 
capacity, he headed a division of approximately 140 engineers, 
technicians, and administrative staff responsible for the delivery of 
the agency's $2.67 billion Capital Improvement Program. The program 
included new Light Rail Transit extensions, facility upgrades, and 
enhancements.
  He is also the former Executive Director of the Alameda County 
Transportation Authority. In this role, he managed the agency's $1 
billion Half-Cent Transportation Sales Tax Program. The program 
included a variety of projects which addressed mobility for seniors and 
disabled persons, major transit, bikeway and highway corridors, and 
improvements to local streets and roads.
  During his time as Executive Director, Mr. Harris worked 
collaboratively with the Stanislaus region's nine cities and the county 
to support significant transportation improvements to the region. Under 
Harris' leadership, millions of transportation dollars financed 
projects such as the Whitmore Interchange Reconstruction Project, the 
State route 219 (Kiernan Avenue) Widening Project, and hundreds of 
locally developed and delivered transportation projects.
  Mr. Harris' last day with StanCOG is May 31, 2012. He has accepted a 
new position as Director of Capital Programs and Construction for the 
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
  Mr. Speaker, please join us in honoring and commending Vince Harris, 
Executive Director of the Stanislaus Council of Governments, StanCOG, 
for his numerous years of selfless service to the betterment of our 
community.

                          ____________________