The Eno Center for Transportation is a non-profit, independent think tank in Washington, D.C., with a mission to seek continuous improvement in transportation and its public and private leadership in order to increase the system's mobility, safety and sustainability. The Center was created and endowed in 1921 in Westport, Connecticut, by William Phelps Eno, a pioneer in the field of traffic control.
History
In 1921, William P. Eno created a corporation whose purpose was to continue his lifetime's work – the promotion of safety on roads and highways. He endowed the Eno Foundation for Highway Traffic Regulation and began the work of attracting other transportation experts and specialists in order to provide a forum for unbiased discussions that would lead to improvements in the movement of people and goods. On April 21, 1921, Eno published the foundation's articles of association. These articles laid out the purposes of the foundation:
Devise traffic methods and rules
Publish information on traffic
Standardize general highway traffic regulations
Familiarize the public with traffic laws
Promote special traffic regulations
Provide proper instruction of traffic police
Promote proper understanding by all police that they have general traffic obligations when in uniform
Furnish advice on traffic regulation generally
Recommend physical changes, such as widening of roadbeds, to assist the movement of traffic
Since 1921, the Foundation has undergone many changes. What began as a Foundation for Highway Traffic Regulation has now morphed into the Eno Center for Transportation, an independent, non-profit think tank that works in federal transportation policy and transportation leadership development.
Objectives
The foundation engages in three primary activities:
Professional Development Programs. The Eno provides training and education across the career span of professionals from all modes of transportation to prepare public and private sector professionals with the skills needed to understand and manage our most pressing transportation issues.
Policy Summits bring together public and private sector leaders to discuss important emerging issues in the transportation field. The goal of these non-partisan forums is to share information and perspectives, consider innovative approaches to transportation problems, and develop a consensus for future action.
Publications and Policy Research. Eno publishes a wide variety of transportation publications, including the textbook, . The Eno Policy and Finance team also releases their free reports on transportation issues on their website. In 2015, Eno brought on as a Senior Fellow to publish and ETW Express, a weekly run-down of current federal transportation related legislation and political action.
The Eno Board of Directors bring expertise in all modes of transportation and experience in federal and state government service, as well as the private sector. The Board meets four times annually to provide strategic direction for the Foundation and assure careful stewardship of Foundation resources. Over the course of the year, Board Members also participate in Eno activities, such as policy forums and leadership development programs.
The Eno board of advisors provides advice and counsel to the foundation's executive leadership, including its board of directors and president and chief executive officer. The members are selected from across industry and government, and possess extensive knowledge and expertise in surface, air, and water based transportation policy, management, and operations. The board meets annually with the board of directors to provide advice on organizational priorities and participate in policy and professional development activities. Each member is appointed to serve a three-year term.
