ITE Journal January 2018 - 26

| member to member
W. Hibbett Neel, P.E.
W. Hibbett Neel has
served as a traffic
engineer, company
leader, and ITE
ambassador for more
than 50 years. The
recipient of ITE's
Burton W. Marsh
Distinguished Service Award in 2011,
Hibbett is a past International President of
ITE and was a co-founder and the first
President of the ITE Deep South Division.
Hibbett held ITE leadership positions for
decades, culminating with his service as
International President in 2014. He won
the Deep South Section Outstanding
Service Award in 2000, the Southern
District Herman J. Hoose Distinguished
Service Award in 1997, and the Southern
Section Marble J. Hensley Individual
Activity Award in 1979.
Born in Murfreesboro, TN, USA in
1941, Hibbett learned the value of hard
work at an early age, rising before daylight
as an 11-year-old fifth-grader to complete
a morning paper route, and then by earning the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout
from the Boy Scouts of America.
He earned a bachelor of engineering
from Vanderbilt University in 1963 and a
master of science in civil engineering from
Georgia Institute of Technology in 1965.
After serving three years in the U.S. Army
(1965-67), where he attained the rank
of Captain while serving as a Company
Commander in Europe for the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Hibbett joined the
Tennessee State Highway Department as
an Assistant Traffic Engineer in 1968.
In 1971, Hibbett went to work for
Hensley-Schmidt, Inc., as a project
engineer in the firm's Atlanta office. From
1972-1974, he managed the West Georgia
Limited Access Highway Feasibility Study,
an envisioned toll road from Chattanooga,
TN, USA to Tallahassee, FL, USA. In
1974, he was named a vice president with
26

J a n uar y 2018

it e jo u rn al

the firm, and was transferred to Jackson, MS, USA, where he helped develop
a new Hensley-Schmidt branch office.
Hibbett thrived in his new environment,
developing and managing a variety of
transportation engineering projects that
included roadway design, traffic operations and safety, transportation and transit
planning, and traffic signal systems. It was
also during this period that Hibbett and
his wife Susan decided that after moving
six times in five years for his job they
would make Jackson their home.
In 1983, seeking a new challenge,
Hibbett and Gorman Schaffer co-founded
Neel-Schaffer, Inc., a multi-disciplined
engineering, planning, and construction management firm that has grown
from one office in downtown Jackson
to become one of the largest private,
employee-owned engineering firms in
the South, with more than 500 employees working out of 38 offices across nine
states. Hibbett has served as Neel-Schaffer's President and CEO since the firm
opened, in charge of strategic planning
and the direction of the firm's activities.
He develops and helps to find funding for
project implementation, and he is committed to ensuring that each employee
has the opportunity to reach his or her
professional potential.
In addition to his involvement with
ITE, Hibbett is a member of the American
Society of Civil Engineers, the American
Council of Engineering Companies, the
Transportation Research Board, and the
American Public Works Association.
Other service and industry awards
Hibbett has won include:
* Goodwill Industries Volunteer Service
Award (2014)
* Jackson 2000 Friendship Ball Honoree
(2013)
* ACEC Teddy Roosevelt Award (2012)
* Pat Yarborough Community Service
Award from the Greater Jackson
Chamber Partnership (2010)

* Vanderbilt University School of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award
(2010)
* ACEC Community Services Award
(2007)
* ASCE Diversity Champions Award
(2005)
* APWA Mississippi Chapter Private
Sector Member of the Year (2000)
Hibbett is community and civic
minded, serving on more than a dozen
committees and associations through
the years, including the Greater Jackson
Chamber Partnership, the Keep Jackson
Beautiful Committee, the Mississippi
Economic Council, the Advisory Committee for Jackson State University's School of
Engineering, Mississippi Blood Services,
and Jackson 2000, an organization committed to racial reconciliation.
ITE JOURNAL: What inspired you
to pursue a career in transportation
engineering?
HIBBETT NEEL: During my high
school Latin class I was fascinated by
the Romans and the Coliseum-the
things they built that have lasted so
long. And I wrote a paper about the
Seattle Space Needle. I was just always
interested in how things were built and
how they operate, so as I was finishing
my engineering studies at Vanderbilt
and Georgia Tech it made sense to get
involved in traffic engineering and
transportation planning. My first job,
for Marble Hensley, who was my mentor,
was a traffic signal inventory in North
Carolina. I was so impressed by the traffic
engineer there, Pat Rose, who seemed to
know everything about traffic signals.
Later, I had the opportunity to manage
the New Orleans TOPICs study-a traffic
engineering project looking at all aspects
of traffic safety and operations in New
Orleans. The New Orleans TOPICs study



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ITE Journal January 2018

President’s Message
Director’s Message
Introducing the 2018 ITE International Board of Direction
Introducing the 2018 LeadershipITE Class
Your ITE Councils: An Overview of the ITE Councils in 2018
People in the Profession
ITE News
Member to Member: Congratulations to ITE’s Three New Honorary Members
Where in the World?
Calendar
Industry News
New Products
ITE Adopts 2018–2020 Strategic Plan
Finding the Courage to Lead the Way
Providing Vehicular Cyclists with Routine Accommodation in the United States as Part of Complete Streets
Variable Driver Responses to Yellow Indications: An Operational Challenge and Safety Concern
Professional Services Directory
ITE Journal January 2018 - 1
ITE Journal January 2018 - 2
ITE Journal January 2018 - 3
ITE Journal January 2018 - President’s Message
ITE Journal January 2018 - 5
ITE Journal January 2018 - Director’s Message
ITE Journal January 2018 - 7
ITE Journal January 2018 - Introducing the 2018 ITE International Board of Direction
ITE Journal January 2018 - 9
ITE Journal January 2018 - 10
ITE Journal January 2018 - 11
ITE Journal January 2018 - Introducing the 2018 LeadershipITE Class
ITE Journal January 2018 - 13
ITE Journal January 2018 - 14
ITE Journal January 2018 - 15
ITE Journal January 2018 - 16
ITE Journal January 2018 - 17
ITE Journal January 2018 - Your ITE Councils: An Overview of the ITE Councils in 2018
ITE Journal January 2018 - 19
ITE Journal January 2018 - People in the Profession
ITE Journal January 2018 - ITE News
ITE Journal January 2018 - Member to Member: Congratulations to ITE’s Three New Honorary Members
ITE Journal January 2018 - 23
ITE Journal January 2018 - 24
ITE Journal January 2018 - 25
ITE Journal January 2018 - 26
ITE Journal January 2018 - 27
ITE Journal January 2018 - Calendar
ITE Journal January 2018 - New Products
ITE Journal January 2018 - 30
ITE Journal January 2018 - 31
ITE Journal January 2018 - ITE Adopts 2018–2020 Strategic Plan
ITE Journal January 2018 - 33
ITE Journal January 2018 - 34
ITE Journal January 2018 - Finding the Courage to Lead the Way
ITE Journal January 2018 - 36
ITE Journal January 2018 - 37
ITE Journal January 2018 - Providing Vehicular Cyclists with Routine Accommodation in the United States as Part of Complete Streets
ITE Journal January 2018 - 39
ITE Journal January 2018 - 40
ITE Journal January 2018 - 41
ITE Journal January 2018 - 42
ITE Journal January 2018 - 43
ITE Journal January 2018 - Variable Driver Responses to Yellow Indications: An Operational Challenge and Safety Concern
ITE Journal January 2018 - 45
ITE Journal January 2018 - 46
ITE Journal January 2018 - 47
ITE Journal January 2018 - 48
ITE Journal January 2018 - 49
ITE Journal January 2018 - Professional Services Directory
ITE Journal January 2018 - 51
ITE Journal January 2018 - 52
ITE Journal January 2018 - Outsert1
ITE Journal January 2018 - Outsert2
ITE Journal January 2018 - Outsert3
ITE Journal January 2018 - Outsert4
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