Lifetime Achievement in Roadway Safety in Law Enforcement

This award recognizes an AAMVA member jurisdiction employee or other individual in law enforcement whose primary function is directly associated with roadway and traffic safety efforts and who has had a distinguished career in this arena. The individual can be currently active or retired. 

This award is presented at the international level. Award nominations are from a chief motor vehicle or chief law enforcement administrator only. In the event that the chief administrator is the nominee, the nomination can be submitted by a deputy administrator.

Each agency may submit only ONE nominee.

Criteria for selection:

  • Extent of lifetime contributions and achievements
  • Impact on roadway safety

2024 Winner


Colonel Melissa A. Zebley

Superintendent

Delaware State Police

Colonel Melissa Zebley of the Delaware State Police is a champion for traffic safety. Through her years of advocacy, partnership developments, and implementation of evidence-based strategies, she has established a legacy of enhancements in motor vehicle safety. As the leader of the Delaware State Police, she focused on statewide programs for enforcement strategies and partnered with numerous state agencies to enhance traffic safety. As Delaware’s leader in traffic enforcement, Colonel Zebley quickly focused on technology developments to elevate traffic safety. She oversaw the building of new commercial motor vehicle inspection stations with modernized weight measurement systems and implemented Delaware’s first virtual inspection system for enhanced compliance with commercial motor vehicles. Colonel Zebley also advocated for the development of a statewide crash mapping and analysis tool. This tool allows all law enforcement agencies in Delaware to have a single platform for crash data analysis and crash hot spot mapping. 

As Superintendent of the Delaware State Police, Colonel Zebley oversaw Delaware State Police’s evidence-based crash reduction program. This program was founded on analysis of collisions in Delaware to understand casual factors and revealed collision hot spots and impaired and distracted driving as the state’s greatest challenges with collisions. Colonel Zebley empowered regional commanders to form cooperative working relationships with the DOT and Delaware’s Office of Highway Safety for engineering, education, and enforcement programs at the most dangerous crash locations. Her actions resulted in a 33% increase in proactive distracted driving contacts and an 8% increase in proactive DUI enforcement by her troopers. Her focus on driver behaviors, educational partnerships, and roadway enhancements ultimately resulted in a 13% reduction of collision for the agency.

Past Winners


2023: Colonel Richard Fambro (Retired), Ohio State Highway Patrol
2022: Major Matthew Cox, Delaware State Police
2021: Colonel Matthew Langer, Minnesota State Patrol
2020: Warren A. Stanley, Commissioner California Highway Patrol
2019: Colonel Nathaniel McQueen, Jr., Superintendent, Delaware State Police
2018: Captain Tom Fields (Retired), Vermont Governor's Highway Safety Program, Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles
2017: Colonel Ronald K. Replogle (Retired), Missouri State Highway Patrol
2016: Colonel Tracy Trott, Tennessee Highway Patrol
2015: Lieutenant Colonel Jack Miniard, Kentucky State Police
2014: Colonel Mike Edmonson, Louisiana State Police
2013: Captain Lenny Casper, New York State Police
2012: John Batiste, Chief  (Individual), Washington State Patrol
2011: Joe Farrow, Commissioner (Individual), California Highway Patrol
2010: Major David Salmon, (Retired) (Individual), New York State Police; Massachusetts State Police (Agency)
2009: Major John Hill (Individual), Indiana State Policy; New York State Policy (Agency)
2008: Colonel Mark Trostel (Individual), Colorado State Police; Missouri State Highway Patrol (Agency)
2007: Colonel Paul McClellan (Retired), Ohio State Highway Patrol
2006: Frank Di'Onofrio, Ontario Ministry of Transportation
2005: The Florida Highway Patrol
2004: Dwight O. Helmick, California Highway Patrol
2003: Colonel Lonnie Westphal (Retired), Colorado State Patrol
2002: Rebecca L. Bickley, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
2001: Michael Smith, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration