This month, COG is remembering Ron Kirby as we approach the ten-year mark of his unexpected passing on November 11, 2013. As COG’s Transportation Planning Director from 1987 to 2013, he led our staff in supporting transportation decision-making in the region as staff director to the Transportation Planning Board.

Kirby was known for his intellect, his professionalism, his passion for his work, and his collegial and collaborative nature. COG staff described him as a fair and thoughtful manager. He spoke at conferences around the country alongside fellow experts. He also valued the input of community members, hosting countless conferences, workshops, and meetings on all sorts of topics in the first floor COG Training Center that now bears his name.

We invite you to read our TPB News feature articles to learn more about him.  As much as any figure in our history, he helped advance the idea of COG as the forum where area decision-makers come together to solve problems, and he helped the TPB carve out its place as the impartial authority on transportation in the region.