Vernon Webb, P.E., has been chosen by the Texas Department of Transportation as the new Tyler District Engineer, effective Sept. 1. Webb, a Jacksonville native, takes the helm of the eight-county Tyler District and its 316 employees.
Webb will oversee the planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance of the state transportation system in Anderson, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Rusk, Smith, Van Zandt and Wood counties. He is very knowledgeable of the district having spent his entire TxDOT career here and has served as its second in command since 2016 as deputy district engineer.
“I am extremely honored to be selected for this position,” Webb said. “It’s very humbling to follow the previous leaders of the Tyler District, many of whom I have worked with and respected throughout my career. I look forward to continuing to work with our transportation partners and elected officials to provide much needed transportation improvements for East Texas.”
Webb began working as a teenager during the summers in the Henderson and Jacksonville maintenance offices while attending college. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1995 with a B.S. in civil engineering, he got his first full-time position as an engineering assistant in the Palestine Area Office.
Webb resides in Tyler with his wife Kenya, daughter Kaylee, and son Kyle, who recently went to work for the Atlanta District as an engineering assistant.
Webb replaces Glenn Green, P.E., who retired in August after more than 34 years of service to TxDOT.
Meals on Wheels new director
Meals on Wheels Ministry, Inc./Meals on Wheels East Texas is pleased to announce Trudy Williams as the organization’s new executive director officially beginning on Sept. 1.
Williams has been instrumental over recent months in leading the organization’s efforts to continue providing meals to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’m blessed to be chosen to serve this organization, and I look forward to what lies ahead for Meals on Wheels Ministry,” Williams said. “I’ve been involved with the organization since 2015 when a very good friend of mine asked me to help her chair the fundraising banquet, and I’m so glad that I did. Meals on Wheels Ministry provides such a vital service to so many seniors in East Texas. It truly is one of the noblest causes there is.”
Prior to being named executive director, Williams served as the organization’s administrative director. Since March, Meals on Wheels has added more than 200 clients, increasing the need for services throughout the community. Williams’ efforts to incorporate an abbreviated meal delivery schedule enabled the organization to meet this rising need without disruption of service, all while helping to keep volunteers, employees, and clients safe.
Meals on Wheels serves more than 2,600 clients in six counties: Smith, Gregg, Wood, Henderson, Van Zandt and Upshur depends on a vast number of volunteers who donate their time each week to deliver meals. For many meal recipients, it is often the only meal they will receive that day. For more information about Meals on Wheels Ministry, and how you can donate or become a volunteer, go to www.mealsonwheelsetx.org.
Green new director
The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority, NET RMA, has announced TxDOT veteran and Tyler native Glenn Green to be the organization’s new executive director.
Green brings more than 35 years of Texas Department of Transportation experience to the role. Prior to joining NET RMA, he served as TxDOT district engineer in Atlanta and, most recently, in Tyler.
“I’ve been impressed with how NET RMA is fulfilling its vision of providing transportation solutions that enhance the quality of life and economic environment in our area,” said Green. “As Northeast Texas continues to thrive and grow, NET RMA is going to play a critical role in advancing the area’s transportation infrastructure that will connect area residents to each other and to businesses across the region.”
Green graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor of applied science in civil engineering.