Wisconsin native Steve Latoski picked being a civil engineer as his career choice while in high school. He’s now in his fourteenth year as Director of Mohave County Public Works. He heads the second biggest county department with 180 individuals.
(The Sheriff’s Department has 256.) Public Works has a wide responsibility for countywide engineering, surveying, road maintenance, traffic control, facilities, all park facilities management, fleet services, and water operations. Specifically, Latoski manages maintenance and operation of 2,100 road miles, as well as 3 public water systems, county regional and community parks, motor pool and building facilities through a $45 million annual budget. Over the past ten years, he secured over $12 million in federal funding for county road and traffic safety improvements including two Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration Program grants.
He also developed numerous national engineering handbooks and training courses on traffic incident and planned special events management. Latoski’s interest in working in county government came from the fact that he owned property here and 14 years ago he followed a county jobs listing that resulted in being hired and coming to the Public Works Department. It has been 14 years of consistently praised achievements. One of Latoski’s most noticeable triumphs took place last year when he was awarded the National Association of County Engineers award as the Urban County Engineer of the Year. He holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University and is a registered professional engineer in 4 states. Retaining his master’s degree in civil engineering from Purdue University, Latoski is extraordinarily successful outside his vital county position He has developed numerous national engineering handbooks and training courses on traffic incident and has planned special events management. Most recently he delivered traffic management and control services during the 2018 U.S. Golf Open. Steven is Immediate Past President of the Arizona Association of County Engineers and member of the Transportation Research Board Committee on Freeway Operations. He chairs the Institute of Transportation Engineers National Rural Intelligent Transportation Systems Steering Committee. Latoski is a consummate world traveler, having visited 5 continents, many countries and cities. is a world traveler. His true love is his passion for his job, saying, “I’ve always had an appreciation for the government sector. I was actually a contract engineer in the private sector. I’ve always relished the opportunity to be more of a direct service to the public and see projects developed and brought to completion.” In addition to his Mohave County duties, Latoski has been actively involved in the Arizona Association of County Engineers, serving as President in 2017-2018.
The busy man is also a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee on Freeway Operations and Institute of Transportation Engineers National Rural Intelligent Transportation Systems Steering Committee. Obviously wedded to both his job and duties taking him outside the county itself, Latoski says, “I embrace and thrive in my position as Public Works Director in my standing interest in my colleagues’ success in the products, projects, and services delivered, as well as seeing to community- and people-first focus in my professional and personal work.”
Original source can be found here.
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