Over 37 years, Transportation Construction Management Institute has transformed Virginia’s transportation industry
Since 1988, a powerful partnership has been shaping the leaders who build Virginia’s roads, bridges, and transportation systems.
The annual Transportation Construction Management Institute (TCMI) is a joint continuing and professional education program uniting the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance, and facilitated by Virginia Tech’s Continuing and Professional Education. Directed since 2019 by Mike Garvin, David H. Burrows Professor of Construction Engineering in the Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, TCMI once again brought together transportation professionals for an intensive, week-long experience in February that has become one of the most impactful professional development programs for those who build the commonwealth’s roads.
What began nearly four decades ago as a series of conversations between the university, VDOT, and what was then the Virginia Road and Transportation Builders’ Association has grown into a model of sustained collaboration between public agencies, private industry, and higher education.
“For nearly 40 years, TCMI has brought the people who build Virginia’s transportation infrastructure into the same room, learning together, eating together, disagreeing together, and leaving as colleagues,” said Gordon Dixon, executive director of the VTCA. “That’s not a small thing. In fact, right now, it might be one of the most important things we do.”
The program began when leaders recognized that Virginia’s transportation system was evolving, and the professionals responsible for delivering complex construction projects needed more than technical expertise. They needed advanced management skills, stronger communication tools, and a shared sense of commitment across agencies and firms. TCMI was designed to meet that need.
Each year, the institute selects 34 emerging leaders from VDOT, consulting firms, and constrcution contractors across the commonwealth. Over the course of the week, delegates engage with topics ranging from contract law and cost control to team development, dispute resolution, and organizational leadership.
The goal is for those who complete the program to be better equipped to administer contracts, make sound decisions under pressure, build high-performing teams, and resolve on-site disputes in ways that keep projects on schedule and within budget. Instruction is led by faculty from Virginia Tech as well as industry experts who present real-world transportation challenges to the participants. “We cover a lot of ground in a week, but the program is carefully designed to deliver the value expected by our partners and the delegates. Our instructional staff is outstanding.” Garvin said.
“What makes TCMI truly unique is its ability to bring together contractors, consultants, and VDOT professionals in a collaborative learning environment where each group gains a deeper appreciation for the perspectives, challenges, and responsibilities of the others,” said Kerry Bates, state construction engineer for the VDOT. “That shared experience builds trust, respect, and lifelong relationships that extend far beyond the classroom and into the projects we deliver together across Virginia.”
Since its launch in 1989, the program has welcomed more than 1,000 participants. Over the decades, those alumni have learned not only about construction management and business practices, but also about the relationships and collaboration required to deliver major infrastructure projects. Hundreds of alumni now hold leadership roles across Virginia’s transportation industry in public agencies, private firms, and construction organizations that collectively deliver billions of dollars in infrastructure.
That impact was exactly what Mike Vorster, the David Burrows Professor Emeritus in civil and environmental engineering, who founded the program along with Dick Harshberger, former director of University Leadership Development, hoped to achieve.
“I reflect with pride on the contribution that this program has made to transportation construction and to relationships between VDOT and the construction contractors,” said Vorster. “We have made a difference and a contribution to an area of increasing concern to our community and our economy.”
