Mississippi DOT honors public affairs team, rodeo winners and three ‘Friends of Transportation’

The Mississippi Transportation Commission on Aug. 13 recognized the Mississippi Department of Transportation public affairs division for a string of state- and national-level awards, announced winners of the agency’s equipment-operator rodeo and presented three “Friend of Transportation” awards to external partners who assisted MDOT on budgeting, personnel and interagency transitions.

Executive Director Brad White introduced the awards and credited outside partners for helping MDOT meet legislative and operational goals. "From the very beginning of my time back here, [Leanne Robinson] has been one of the most premier people in the legislative process at holding my hand and walking us through the delicate process of trying to come up with a budget," White said as he presented an award to Leanne Robinson of the Legislative Budget Office.

The public affairs division—represented at the meeting by Will Craft and other staff—was cited for multiple honors, including statewide PR awards and a national AASHTO award for best marketing campaign. Will Craft said the team had entered roughly seven competitions over the past three years and had not only placed but often won top awards.

The commission also recognized the winners of district and state equipment-operator competitions (the “rodeo”), naming top performers across categories such as single-axle dump, dump truck operations, tractor mower and state finals team. Commissioner remarks at the meeting praised the rodeo as a morale and safety-training program that builds on employees’ equipment skills.

Three external partners received the commission’s 2025 “Friend of Transportation” awards. White identified the recipients and explained their roles:

- Leanne Robinson, director of the Legislative Budget Office, was credited for assisting MDOT’s budget efforts since at least 2016 and for helping the agency secure legislative funding over the past four years.

- Kelly Hardwick, identified in the meeting as executive director of the State Personnel Board, was recognized for helping implement salary adjustments and pay increases that MDOT leaders said improved employee retention and recruitment.

- Sean Tyndall, who accepted the award and spoke at the meeting, was honored for his cooperation when MDOT’s law-enforcement division transitioned to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety; White described Tyndall as a partner who made that transition work smoothly.

Tyndall said accepting the award was meaningful because of the honoree for whom the award is named and thanked MDOT employees for their service. Commissioners and other leaders made additional remarks praising the recipients’ roles in stabilizing MDOT staffing and operations.

The recognition items were part of the meeting’s opening segment before the commission moved on to its regular agenda and consent items. The commission asked for photographs with rodeo participants before beginning an executive session later in the meeting.

The items discussed were ceremonial recognitions and formal presentations; the meeting also included separate consent and action items that were recorded later in the agenda.