Page 17 - Jan/Feb 2023 Vol 40 No 6

Upper East Branch with several other members to help identify questions/challenges for
future workshops and helps the Branch President with various requests. In spring 2022,
Scott presented a state-wide webinar on the new ELDT requirements for CDL training. It
was attended by 18 cities and 3 counties, from Memphis to Kingsport. On the state level he
is the Audit Committee Chair and serves on the Awards Committee.

Charles Walter Nichols Award
Bryon Fortner, Public Works Director, City of Sevierville
Fortner has worked for the City of Sevierville since 1996. He received his BS in Civil
Engineering from the University of Tennessee. Prior to taking time out of his engineering
career to obtain a Master of Divinity degree, he spent five years with the Federal Highway
Administration.
Fortner He’s been an APWA member since 1997 and has served multiple years chairing one of

the national awards committees. He was appointed to the Tennessee Highway Officials
Certification board by Governor Bill Haslam and also helped found Keep Sevier Beautiful
(a local Keep America Beautiful affiliate). Since 1997, he has been part-time youth minister
at First Baptist Church, Gatlinburg.

Frank Kirk Meritorious Service Award
Jody Vance, Gresham Smith Middle Tennessee Municipal Services Leader
Jody Vance is a professional engineer who has worked at Gresham Smith for 27 years.
In the middle of that 27 years, he worked at the City of Lebanon for seven years as
City Engineer. An active member of APWA, he was instrumental in getting the City
of Lebanon’s team actively involved in APWA during his time there. That involvement
continues strong today.
The nominator said Vance’s work at Gresham Smith has been to serve the Tennessee area
Vance with quality, efficiency, and cost-effective solutions to their transportation-related needs.
His work on the government side for those several years gives him a different insight into
the challenges that those in the public side face every day.
Tennessee Chapter – Award of Merit

Herb King, Metro Nashville/Nashville Dept of Transportation
Herb King has over forty years of service with Metro Nashville Public Works/Nashville
Department of Transportation. His professionalism, dedication, and knowledge have
been pivotal in Public Works’ ability to maintain the city’s infrastructure. As a team-
first manager, he will go above and beyond for his dedication and loyalty to the city, his
employees, and to his superiors.
King brings a considered and thoughtful approach to leadership, but also a willingness to
learn. His honesty, loyalty, and considerate nature are all qualities that make him a natural
leader for the department. He performs his responsibilities in an exceptional and courteous
manner, and has always been a reliable, dedicated public servant.
King

Mark Miller Tennessee Public
Works Project of the Year Award

Alcoa’s Marconi Boulevard Project
The development of the City of Alcoa’s
Springbrook Farm area, coupled with the
growing volume of traffic in the area, called
for a new roadway to support multimodal
accessibility. The end result is an integral
corridor that serves as a critical piece of
infrastructure while improving safety and
creating community connectivity.
See article on page 18.

View online at tnpublicworks.com 17