The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike Commission) recently honored its assistant chief of facilities operations, Keith Jack, with the inaugural Sustainability Impact Award. Jack received the award at a ceremony on Aug. 18.

The PA Turnpike Commission's Sustainability Committee created the Sustainability Impact Award to recognize employees who demonstrate exceptional leadership and a steadfast commitment to advancing sustainability across the PA Turnpike Commission by driving measurable results, fostering innovation, and advancing the commission's vision of becoming America's first sustainable superhighway by 2040.

As assistant chief of facilities operations, Jack oversees the maintenance, management, and upkeep of 140 facilities across the Pennsylvania Turnpike's 565-mile network, including the Central Administration Building, Turnpike Industrial Park, the eastern and western regional offices, 23 maintenance sheds, five tunnels, and various tower sites, fare collection facilities, and Pennsylvania State Police stations. He was the co-founder of the PA Turnpike Commission's Sustainability Committee and helped co-chair the committee for five years.

Under Jack's leadership, the PA Turnpike Commission achieved a perfect score from Pennsylvania's GreenGov Council, and it has done so for four consecutive years. Established in 2019, the GreenGov Council supports the commonwealth's climate goal of an 80% reduction of net greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2050. Housed within the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the council helps integrate sustainability into the commonwealth's policies, planning, operations, procurement, and regulatory functions.

In 2022, Jack oversaw the installation of the PA Turnpike Commission's 3,300-panel solar microgrid that powers the Greensburg Maintenance Facility and District Trades Building. This project has evolved the PA Turnpike Commission's energy management strategy to include constructing a series of solar generation facilities along the PA Turnpike's right-of-way areas, building a solar canopy at its Central Administration Building, and hosting an inductive charging stationary showcase to test the interoperability of electric vehicle charging stations. Jack has shared insights on the PA Turnpike's sustainability strategy at various forums nationwide, including the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association; the American Society of Highway Engineers; and the Keystone Emergency Management Association.

Sustainability and environmental protection have been core beliefs within the PA Turnpike Commission since the 1990s. Other recent innovations in sustainability include reducing energy usage, which has yielded financial savings for the PA Turnpike Commission; installing electric vehicle chargers at its service plazas, with more than 80 to be installed by 2027; reducing mowing schedules to allow native plant growth; and evaluating the feasibility of an electrified road system. The agency has also planted pollinator habitats at seven service plazas and interchanges, as well as the Central Administration Building in Middletown, with more than 40 sites being explored for future installation.

Jack, a 25-year employee of the PA Turnpike Commission, was previously recognized as the Engineer of the Year by the Facility Managers Association in 2014. He is also a U.S. veteran, having served as a Seabee with the Navy.

To learn more about the Pennsylvania Turnpike, visit http://www.paturnpike.com.