Congratulations to this year's award recipients! Awards were presented at the 2024 TZD Conference on October 22 in St. Cloud, MN.
2024 Star Awards
Enforcement: Sergeant Dave Windels
Sergeant Dave Windels has been a police officer for 24 years, previously serving with the St. Joseph Police Department and the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office, and currently serving with the Elk River Police Department as a patrol sergeant and TZD coordinator.
Sgt. Windels understands that traffic safety is public safety. Whenever presented with a challenge, he finds a solution. He coordinates overtime enforcement during Office of Traffic Safety waves and is constantly organizing on-duty waves to provide sustained, high-visibility saturations. Other projects he has led or participated in include the 2024 Traffic Safety Vehicle Grant, an OTS Speed and Aggressive Driving Call-to-Action Grant, and activities with the Sherburne County Safe Roads Coalition, including a video contest with students at Elk River High School on texting and driving.
Emergency Medical & Trauma Services: Ann Jenson
Ann Jenson demonstrates exceptional dedication and leadership in supporting the TZD traffic safety mission, going above and beyond to secure vital resources, educational equipment, training opportunities, and grants. Some notable examples of Ann’s commitment to promoting traffic safety include securing funds for educational equipment such as the rollover simulator, adopting the Stop-the-Bleed program, implementing several train-the-trainer classes, purchasing and offering training kits and tourniquets for distribution, and acting as a fiscal agent for safe roads coalitions.
Ann also piloted a telehealth program for ambulances responding to traumatic events such as motor vehicle crashes—a game-changer for all Greater Minnesota providers that will help to increase the survival rates of crash victims. In addition, she was instrumental in applying for a $9.9 million grant with the USDOT’s Safe Streets and Roads for All, which was awarded to Southwest Minnesota EMS Corp to implement a regional tele-EMS system.
Education: Alan Ainsworth
Alan Ainsworth served as co-chair for the first-ever Mall of America Traffic Safety Day event. Alan’s idea for this event was to “go to the people” with traffic safety outreach and connect with the wide variety of MOA visitors from across Minnesota and the country.
For nearly two years, Alan worked with many businesses to raise funds, find a fiscal host, review lengthy contracts, acquire event insurers and sponsors, and line up numerous exhibitors. The event, which took place in April 2024, was a huge success. Others on the event planning committee praised Alan’s persistence in the face of many barriers; he kept the team from losing hope that the event would happen.
Child Passenger Safety: Dex Tuttle
Dex Tuttle’s commitment to safeguarding children’s well-being regardless of language or cultural barriers is commendable. Patients and their families of Children’s Minnesota health care system speak more than 60 languages. Using digital animation, Dex directed an initiative to ensure that vital safety messages were accessible to all of these families. Incorporating art and positive messaging allows injury prevention information to be shared across cultures and language groups. The “Making Safe Simple” video series shows families with limited English proficiency or literacy how to help prevent injuries from motor vehicle collisions.
Dex also teaches the CPS Technician, CARS/BEST, and Safe Native American Passengers courses and is the only instructor in Minnesota who teaches the Safe Travel for All Children course.
Engineering: Girma Feyissa
Girma Feyissa has been the MnDOT State Aid Traffic Safety Engineer since 2020. To advance MnDOT’s core value of safety, he frequently presents at TZD conferences, county board meetings, and other roadway-safety-related workshops at the national, state, and regional levels.
Through collaboration with the Office of Traffic Engineering, the Department of Public Safety, Federal Highway Administration, and city and county partners, Girma has catalyzed notable safety improvements on local roads, resulting in approximately $20 million per year awarded to local agencies to reduce fatal and life-changing crashes. He also champions statewide efforts such as the County Road Safety Plans and Local Roads Traffic Safety Regional Workshops.
2024 TZD Media Award
KFGO Radio
KFGO Radio broadcasts a news/talk format serving the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan and surrounding areas in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. KFGO is a leader in raising awareness about traffic safety through its live broadcasts, local PSAs, timely and accurate traffic news, and powerful storytelling.
Weaving personal tragedies into compelling narratives, KFGO fosters a sense of shared responsibility among listeners. Among its approaches to traffic safety are live broadcasts featuring “Trooper Talk” segments and informative “Ask a Trooper” articles shared weekly with followers on social media and its news website. In these ways KFGO Radio goes beyond simply reporting the news—it actively works to create a culture of safe driving in its listening area.