Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) Update

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Tribal Technical Assistance Program Pilot
December 6, 2017

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Transcript

Welcome and thank you for standing by. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. If you have a question during the presentation, you either can enter it into the chat pod on the lower left of your screen or you can ask the questions after the presentation when we open the line for comments. Instructions will be given at that time on how to unmute your line. If you should require assistance during the call, please press "star" and then zero. As a reminder, this webinar is being recorded. And I would now like to turn the webinar over to Victoria Peters. You may begin.

Thank you. Good morning to everyone. We are very pleased you could join us today. My name is Victoria Peters. I am the Director for FHWA's Center for Local Aid Support. I am very excited that this update will cover the announcement of the new TTAP center. I know many of you have been anticipating this announcement. Before I get into the details, I think it is important that I touch upon how we will coordinate with you during the pilot.

At the National Tribal Transportation Conference in September, in letters to tribal leaders, and on our Center for Local-Aid Support website, we proposed (in black letters on your screen) the following communications plan for the pilot and asked for your comment. We have also added the bi-monthly TTPCC meetings which we have committed to attending during the pilot. I think I can sum up the comments we have received with 3 simple words >>>Just do it.

Today we are accomplishing the first activity in the communications plan... the introduction of the new Center. This contract is as important to us as it is to you and it involved a lot of careful thought from multiple vantage points. While this extended our acquisitions process longer than expected. I am confident and comfortable that we have a contract that will enable us to fully and thoughtfully evaluate this new model for the delivery of training and technical assistance to you. This delay has shifted the communications plan dates by one month to match contact deliverables.

In quarter one of next year, which is only two months away, we will provide you with the training schedule for the first pilot year. The schedule will allow you to mark your calendar early with the topic, date, and location. The plan will also allow you to see what training is available across the nation should a need arise that requires you to seek training prior to it being available in your region. Then over the next 18 months, we will continue to have scheduled informational updates and listening sessions to discuss the pilot. In addition to these virtual events, we are committed to accepting tribal speaking requests at regional and national conferences for the purpose of exchanging information and receiving input. Based on the new contract award, the pilot will end in December 2019. To ensure TTAP services continue from that point on, we will shape the future program based on information and comments collected during the first 18 months of the pilot.

This pilot is a fundamental shift of the delivery structure of the TTAP.

A key element of this model is that there will be no physical location for the centers of excellence.

In the past, we equipped seven regional centers to administer the program - with this new model, there will be one TTAP center and it will be the administrative and communication hub. The training and technical assistance capacity will be in five virtual centers. They will provide expertise, best practices, support and training in the highway areas of: Asset & Data Management, Planning and Program Management; Project Delivery, Safety, and Operations & Maintenance.

Virtual centers have been created for all sorts of industries and applications where capabilities, knowledge and expertise is spread across geographical and organization boundaries - it is the model FHWA uses for its Resource Center function.

The new model also includes a national Road Scholars Certification Program that will be hosted by the TTAP Center. Due to the nature of the training needed to acquire certification, that will include hands-on equipment certification, this aspect of the program will have a physical location.

FHWA has awarded the TTAP Center contract to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. UVA's Center for Transportation Studies will serve as the administrative and programmatic home of the TTAP Center. Also housed under the Center for Transportation Studies is UVA's Transportation Training Academy. The UVA Transportation Training Academy was formed in 2011 by the merger of two training programs: the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Virginia Transportation Professional Development Program. Through the Transportation Training Academy, UVA trains thousands of state and local government professionals annually. It is this experience that UVA can build upon to meet the goals of the TTAP program. Our ultimate goal will be to ensure the tribes have the most up-to-date and innovative skills, tools and capacity to plan, manage and maintain their road systems.

The Roads Scholar facility will be located in central Oklahoma - those details are still being worked out.

FHWA and UVA's mission will be to ensure the safety and sustainability of tribal transportation systems and improved mobility for tribal populations by building skills and expertise through comprehensive training, technical assistance and cross-country alliances. Our decisions will be evaluated based on its fundamental ability to enhance program effectiveness in a culturally aware context. Working together we will create a strong transportation resource for tribal communities.

Delivery of the program will be thorough and reliable, and will serve each of the 12 BIA regions consistently and fairly. The center has committed to delivering the most current, innovative and effective training, tools, and assistance... using subject matter experts from across the country, leveraging their experiences and unique perspectives, geographies, industries and special interests to deliver deep competencies in targeted highway focus areas.

The TTAP Center is structured to ensure cross-functional management, with expertise applied consistently across each virtual Center. A key component to a training strategy is a group of strong subject matter experts. The Center's experts not only embrace the nuances of adult education but earn credibility through a rich background of relatable highway experience. This cadre of experts will not only teach; they will continue to evolve every time they conduct training. All key personnel are 100% available for program execution demands.

Leading the Center will be Beth O'Donnell. Beth has over 25 years of accounting and finance experience, including all aspects of government contract administration, (financial tracking and reporting), and business operations. Most recently, she brings over 5 years of intimate knowledge of the inner-workings of the UVA Transportation Training Academy (Virginia's LTAP), meeting the professional development and education needs of a customer base of over 10,000 working transportation professionals. In addition, Beth is responsible for financial direction, business operations, staff oversight and research grant administration for the Center for Transportation Studies. Having earned her Master's in Business Administration in 2014, Beth is currently sitting for the CPA Exam.

Walter C. Catlett will be the program manager for the Center. Walt will provide personalized leadership and oversight on all aspects of instructor qualifications, training coverage and technical assistance distribution and response. Walt brings approximately 30 years of management/command experience from the concrete pipe industry, military and consulting engineering firms. He has managed teams as small as 8, to as large as 200. He is responsible for delivering education of precast concrete products for the American Concrete Pipe Association and provides technical assistance at the Public Works Department level and to several State Departments of Transportation across the Southwest and Mid-Atlantic United States and. He is an active instructor for four LTAP programs (AR, TX, VA, and DE).

Of special note, Walt is retiring from the United States Army Reserve on December 31, 2017, completing 30 years of combined service in the United States Army Reserve and the United States Marine Corps. We would like to thank him for his service.

Lianne Landers will round out this management team as the communications specialist and technical writer. She will be responsible for managing and directing the TTAP Center's internal and external communications. Her background includes providing program development and communications expertise in UVA's Center for Transportation Studies including rebranding UVA Transportation Training Academy/VA LTAP and redesigning its website. She contributes 15-20 newsletter articles and frequent email blasts each quarter, highlighting transportation news, training and technology transfer opportunities and workshop spotlights. She consults with a variety of technology companies, developing communications plans as well as business development strategies.

As mentioned previously, the Road Scholars facility for hand-on equipment training will be located in central Oklahoma. Tony DeCreisie and Kevin Regan will run the Road Scholars Certification Program.

Tony DeCresie is a nationally recognized and awarded training manager with a 25-year track record. His primary areas of expertise include highway and road work site safety training and heavy equipment operations safety. He has extensive DOT, LTAP and OSHA safety training, trailering and load securement, fleet safety and public works operations experience.

Kevin Regan is the founder and senior safety consultant of Municipal Safety Services in Tampa Bay, Florida. Municipal Safety Services has been delivering heavy equipment and safety training primarily for government entities for over 15 years. Kevin's career has been devoted to integrating safety into municipal government organizations. He has an extensive training portfolio including municipal work crews and all public works safety operations for numerous agencies and city operations.

Moving to the Virtual Centers.

Marc Shepard brings twenty-one years of transportation planning and project delivery to the adult learning environment. Marc has delivered training for the Texas LTAP and for staff in Texas DOT. Most recently, he has instructed transportation engineers on delivering emergency relief projects, preparing staff for emergency operations and communicating project information best practices.

For the past two years, Kim Johnson has been the Texas LTAP manager and outreach director. During that time, she developed curriculum and instruction on project delivery training to Texas DOT and local city and county road departments. She also developed and manages the Texas LTAP's Gravel Road Academy. The hands-on academy teaches how to get more mileage out of your gravel roads budget with the latest tools, techniques, and know-how.

Our experts for Maintenance & Operations include James Bailey and Tim Thompson. James is a respected instructor who combines years of heavy equipment operation on construction sites with an emphasis on safety practices/training. James has been providing hands on training in heavy equipment operations related to roadway construction and maintenance for 13 years.

Tim Johnson is a third generation TxDOT employee who retired from TxDOT after thirty-years of service. He combines a life time of hands on maintenance and operations service with seven years of Technical Assistance Training for Texas LTAP and the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEES).

Bruce Drewes has worked in the transportation industry for over thirty years, with the last twelve as an instructor and manager of the Idaho LTAP Center. Bruce has a strong background in Maintenance and Construction when dealing with traffic control, employee and roadway safety, winter operations, and gravel roads. Bruce has provided his knowledge and support to a number of national and local agencies, national associations and organizations. He is currently a Master Instructor for ATSSA, a certified instructor for OSHA 10-hour Construction and OSHA 7600 Disaster Site Workers Outreach courses.

Todd Morrison, P.E., is a Technology Transfer Engineer with the Kentucky LTAP, at the University of Kentucky. He retired from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (DOT) after serving in the Divisions of Construction, Maintenance and Traffic. At the Cabinet, he worked with environmental, work zone, construction and maintenance concerns as an Environmental Coordinator, Maintenance/Traffic Engineer, Resident/Construction Engineer, Area Engineer, and as a Branch Manager for Operations. Recently, Todd served for two years as Kentucky's Safety Circuit Rider helping local agencies identify low cost improvements to reduce crashes.

We have three individuals that will serve as Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention Specialist in the TTAP. In conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control, the Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention program, formally known as the Safety Circuit Rider, has been refocused and will now be provided nationwide. Both Carrie Brown and Tabatha Harris have served previously in the TTAP program as Safety Circuit Riders. Carrie has 9 years of experience in the Human Services and Injury Prevention fields. Tabatha's Injury Prevention experience comes from working as an Indian Health Service TIPCAP Coordinator for the Kaw Nation. Kelly Powell has more than 18 years in the field of injury prevention as a Public Health Practitioner with international, national, state and local program coordination, evaluation and implementation. She has conducted annual community needs assessments and partnered with organizations to develop and implement appropriate community programs in child passenger safety and pedestrian safety.

Allen Smith is a passionate educator who brings over 42 years of working experience in construction and land surveying to the adult learning environment. He is currently the managing member and co-owner of Smith and Goodson, PLLC in Little Rock, Arkansas. Allen's experience encompasses a wide array of engineering and survey projects of various sizes, types and complexities. The details of the 2nd subject matter expert is still be negotiated and we will share that information as soon as completed.

Herald Hudson is an established executive and proven versatile leader with experience as a Tribal Administrator, Operations Director, and Manager of a public accounting firm. As the CEO for the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe he planned, funded and opened a new cultural resource department, a new mental health outreach office, a youth leadership program, and a new medical clinic within 12 months.

Diann Wilson possesses eighteen years of training supervisors and professionals on proper procurement and grant writing. Diann is also a Master Traffic Incident Management Systems instructor for the Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center.

The TTAP Program Manager will ensure all technical assistance requests are fielded by a topically appropriate virtual center subject matter expert. It is envisioned that technical assistance requests will be received both through direct contact with the Center staff or through a dedicated portal on the website. Technical support will be provided via telephone, webinars, virtual meetings, and face-to-face discussions. Whenever possible, technical assistance site visits will be scheduled in conjunction with pre-planned training delivery trips. Each subject matter expert, in addition to their training role, will be dedicating a minimum of 20% of their time to technical assistance.

The Center will be working with FHWA to develop a comprehensive training plan to cover the core curriculum. We anticipate sharing that plan with you via a webinar like this in early February. At that point, training by the TTAP Center will begin in accordance with the plan. Each virtual center is required to provide a minimum of 56 hours per month face to face training and 24 hours of on-line training in addition to the technical assistance outlined in the previous slide.

For questions on the Tribal Technical Assistance Program and updates on the Pilot, please contact FHWA via the Center for Local Aid Support. During the interim while the new center is mobilizing, all training and technical assistance requests should continue to be sent directly to the Center for Local Aid Support. Please note that we will make this recording available on the CLAS website. We would now like to open of the telephone lines to listen to your feedback on what we have presented here today.

Thank you.

If anyone would like to ask a question, just hit *6. >>>

>>>Hello. This is Adam Bailey. I have a clarifying question. As this contract been given to the Virginia LTAP. Will the tribal transportation or technical assistance program be run out of the Virginia LTAP or is it a stand-alone item?

It is a stand-alone item, underneath the Center for Transportation Studies within the University of Virginia. The LTAP program is another program that they administer. But the TTAP program a stand-alone. It will utilize the staff that we outlined.

>>>Do they share staff?

There is some sharing of staff. For the needs of this contract, they are 100% available to this contract.

>> I see in the chat pod it says how would the regions be broken up?

We will be servicing the 12 BIA regions. There will be training out to all 12 regions. I think you will be better equipped to see how this works when the draft is out.

>> This is Adam Bailey again. What is the budget for the pilot program?

The award amount was $4.6 million. That was the same funding that we provided for the TTAP in the past. That funding is for the 2 years of the pilot. So that is 2 years' worth of funding.

>> You can ask your questions or you can use the chat pod.

>>How many trainings have you completed for the tribes at the closing of the old TTAP center? Is it the same amount of training that you're requiring the new center?

We are doing our training based on request from the tribes. We have received several requests, we have accomplished training for alternative delivery last month in Arizona at the request of the tribe. We also have several other requests that we are looking to fulfill now. But rather than have a scheduled training, we are taking in requests and honoring those requests as they come in.

>> We have completed one on-site training. It was the first request and, we just received one in December and we have received several other requests that we are looking to fulfill.

We encourage you to send in your request. If you go to the Center for Local Aid Support on the upper right-hand side of that webpage, there is a place where you can request training. It will automatically open an email. There is also a link for technical assistance which will do the same. It will open an email directly to us and we will then coordinate with you on your request. We provided this information at the national conference, and through letters earlier.

>>> For the 12 BIA regions for Alaska, how will be TTAP center decide how many instructors will be going out to the tribes.

We are looking at that matter and we are looking at the primary trainers and sending them out to each of the regions. In my previous slide, when I was showing the experts we were showing the core curriculum that we will be providing. We are going to be sitting down with the new center. The new center it has 60 days to put together their final training plan. That is the plan that we will be bringing back to you in February.

Is there a list for the training? We are going to be working on that also over the next 60 days to give you little bit better understanding of what each one of those courses include.

What if a tribe requested specific training for the community? Are restricted to the training schedule?

Right now, we have the training outline with the core curriculum. We looked at what training have been provided over the past. And looked at the needs within the tribal transportation program. We also talk to individuals and got feedback. We came up with the core curriculum which is pretty much encompassing the curriculum that had been taught by the past centers. One of the differences is now we are looking to provide that entire curriculum out to every region. Where that had not always occurred in the past.

If a tribe requests a specific training for their community, I think that will come down to whether that we can be fulfill under a technical assistance request. Or whether the training is going to be coming to the region soon, that is all to be looked at.

>>If online training as requested by tribe, will all other tribes be offer the course at the same time? Many have common interest.

Yes, I think that is the beauty of using some of this online training, once you are online, anyone can join in. I think there will be a lot that we can do online because we are asking for 24 hours per center per month, there should be a lot of availability for online training. We are hoping to make it very interactive, so is not just a webinar where you are listening. We really want to find ways to make it interactive in the online environment. >>>

>>Some of the regions are much smaller than others. Will these regions be receiving the same minimum number of hours of training as a larger region, regardless of the number tribes within the region?

I think that is something we are looking at. We want to make sure that every region receives that core curriculum, but there may be needs for us to potentially shift some of the training over to the larger regions where there are more tribes, but we do commit, that the core curriculum will be provided at each one of those BIA regions.

The old TTAP and aria provided free heavy equipment training to us at our tribe instructed by the Utah LTAP. Will you use office or on-site equipment training? Many of the tribes in the region are interested in this training.

There is going to be some, I do not know whether it will be hands on equipment training. It may be just a classroom type training under the maintenance and operations center. But if you're looking to get your certification to be certified for heavy equipment, then you will need to travel to our heavy equipment at our road scholar's facility, because you're trying to put together certification program. To be nationally certified we want to make sure that we are giving the same training to each one that takes that certification.

Our next deliverable to you is a training plan. I think that will be of high interest, obviously based on all the questions that we have. We probably will answer more of your questions at that time.

>>> Sorry if I misheard for the upcoming training in February is her decision made is where it is held or is it an online webinar?

We will be providing a webinar just like this one. Our training plan will be laid out for 2018 in February. It will be an online webinar to update you on the training plan for 2018.

>>> Will the University of Virginia submit a proposal and budget be released to the public for review?

The budget is $4.6 million. That is the final amount. It is a firm fixed price contract. I do not believe their proposal. I'm positive the proposals are not released to the public as part of our source selection process.

>>How about tribes that cannot afford to attend the Oklahoma facility? Will you offer scholarships to the roads scholars location?

No, we do not have that in our budget to offer scholarships to the Rhodes scholar location.

>>If a tribe cannot attend the training in the region according to the schedule how does a TTAP plan to bridge that gap, especially for certification that must be done in person?

For the in-person part of that certification, the only part will be the hands-on training. There are many parts of that certification that can be done in that classroom format, or online. It is only those parts we must have your hands on the piece of equipment, to show that you are qualified to operate.

How many RFP responses were received?

The number of proposals that were received was 4.

>>> Hi Victoria, this seems to be a change in the last version that I saw coming from your office which was a centralized location with satellite centers instead of one location with virtual centers. Can you let us know what the reasoning for the change was?

This is not a change. If you go back, even to look at earlier slides, we have always presented this. In fact, the slide in our presentation, came from earlier presentations. We have always had the national center at the top and had virtual centers of excellence below.

>>I poked around a bit at the University of Virginia Center and I did not notice any tribal transportation citations or the words, American Indian or Native American appearing once on their website. To what degree and familiarity with the tribal transportation program in Indian country in general part of the selection criteria?

I do not have that selection criteria in front of me. But I do know that we used words within that being tribally aware, culturally sensitive, and those types of wording within or the solicitation.

>> Our training opportunities currently only being provided to accommodate the requests submitted to CLAS, or are there plans to develop a curriculum outside of request?

Right now, we are doing it by request.

>>Please discuss the tribal experience any of the new employee has, if any?

I think in my presentation earlier I identified several that had worked within the TTAP program or had worked in a tribal setting. We have Herold Hudson who has experience. We have Carrie Brown and Tabatha Harris has experience. And we have other contacts within the staff that have provided this type of training.

It looks like her questions are slowing down.

>>Victoria could you describe any plans for tribal consultation on this going forward? I know this is been under works for maybe a year or so, and frankly there has been no formal tribal consultation on it at all. Despite repeated requests for such. Are there any plans with in engaging tribes in a formal way going forward?

We have laid out our tentative communications plan. As I showed in the first slide on how we are going to communicate during the pilot.

>>You mentioned two of whom are with the former TTAP Center. Please expand on the others you alluded to.

I would have to go back through the presentation to gather that information. And I do not have specifics on exactly what training they have provided. We can probably get that information and pull that more together over the next few weeks.

>> Can a tribal consultation team be set up?

I think that consultation is something that the agency has discussed and I think that is why we have provided for you the coordination plan we want to move forward with. I guess Angela if you could you could send me a little bit more information on what you think a tribal consultation team should look like that would be great.

I have a question why is that the NTTC held at any of the conference held in any locally owned tribe's hotels or facilities?

In the past, they have not been held at those. We must look at where we are going to have those events in the future. We do have some federal rules, that we must follow that sometimes prevents us from using those facilities. We are trying to make every effort to utilize facilities that are near tribes.

>>We would like the Northwest TTAP individuals involved in the tribal consultation. Washington state alone has 29 tribes they assisted. Over 40 tribes for the Northwest.

Noted.

>>In the meantime, if you have any comments or request, our mailbox is CLAS@dot.gov. We monitor that mailbox. We have several of my staff who watch that and monitor the incoming email. that is the best way to reach us.

>> It says multiple attendees are typing, I don't know if it means they are communicating between themselves, or someone is out there actually typing a question for us. Not seeing any more questions coming in. Wait here comes one. >>>

>>If training is scheduled in response to your request, will all tribes within that region be notified of the opportunity?

Yes. In fact, when we were in Arizona, we notified tribes within that area, we also reach out and invited local agencies in that area. It was hosted at a county facility near the requesting tribe. We want to bring that training to as many people as we can.

>>Where is the 2018 in conference going to be held?

We have not made that determination. There will be a 2008 in conference. We're in the process of identifying the location.

>>I have seen you are offering courses at the Virginia-based Center. 6.hours of training. -- 6.5 hours of training.

We are not offering courses at the Virginia location. The UVA location is the administrative and communications hub for the TTAP center. The virtual centers, the staff in the virtual centers are the ones that will be providing training. 56 hours for each center will be face-to-face each month and 24 hours of their training will be online. So, tribes will not be traveling to the Virginia Center.

>> Will the 2018 in conference be free to attend, just like the trainings?

We are trying to find a way to cover the cost for the venue and that is typically what the registration is used for. At this point we are trying to minimize the cost as much as possible to reduce the conference expense for everyone.

>>Will the online virtual training opportunities be recorded and available for viewing by others later?

Yes, and I think that is one of the benefits of online training. Not only can you be a participant in the course, while it is being presented, but you can also then go back to it, as you have a need to refresh or maybe you just want to take the course over one more time. I think that is the beauty of online or virtual training.

>>Will the training materials be available for download? Those online classes, they will have downloadable training material. There's also been questions about what if I can't connect?

We will look at ways to be able to send those online materials to people that have issue with connection.

>>Are you talking about the 2018 national tribal transportation? At the conference in Arizona it had a flyer that 2018 naturals going to be held in Duluth, Minnesota.

The conference that was advertised at the national tribal transportation conference is not the national tribal transportation conference. That is another entity providing that conference. It is a different conference in Duluth, Minnesota. The 21st national tribal transportation conference has not been scheduled at this point. We are anticipating it to be the same time of the year, and we are looking for a venue at this point.

>>Is FHWA allowed to plan a conference. We thought that was always the role of the TTAP?

Yes, FHWA can plan conferences. The TTAP center will be working with us in developing that agenda. We are hosting, the Federal Highway Administration is hosting the NTTC.

>>When we have recorded webinars, the question is will any of the recorded webinars be available to LTAP for training when topics are relevant?

When we record a webinar, it will be available to anyone. We do not just strictly allow, certain entities access to it.

>>Will a transcript of today's webinar be available online? Yes, it will be. It will be on the CLAS website. You will have the PowerPoint presentation and the webinar today, and the webinar that was the same presentation yesterday. It will all be up on the website.

>>We are recording all the questions that are being ask. That is part of the webinar recording. If you're reviewing that webinar, you will see the questions that have been asked and the responses. You can watch this entire presentation all over again.

>>It looks like we are getting close to the top of the hour. Wait a minute, Santa is typing. I hope it is Merry Christmas. [ laughter].

>>I think, we are slowing down on the questions, it is a top of the hour or very close to it. I want to thank all of you for participating. We look forward to talking to you in the future. Thank you.

Thank you we are going to go ahead and end the session. Happy holidays.

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