About the OETS Speakers

Troy E. Costales

Troy E. Costales is the Transportation Safety Division Administrator and Governor’s Highway Safety Representative. He has been a member of the board for the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a member of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the chairman of ODOT’s Diversity Council. Costales has participated in driving assessments nationwide, and has been a recipient of multiple USDOT, ODOT and Governor’s special recognition and excellence awards including “Administrator of the Year” in 2000 by the Oregon Traffic Safety Education Association.

John Moffat

John Moffat manages the federal highway traffic safety program covering the region that includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. He served for 25 years as a police officer in Seattle, much of the time as captain of the traffic section. Moffat is widely known in traffic safety circles for his work on pedestrian safety law enforcement and for his advocacy of “Target Zero,” the elimination of traffic fatalities and death in America.

Gene Rushing

Gene Rushing has more than 27 years of experience in education, health and safety. He was named “Trainer of the Year” twice by the State of Oregon for his work in heavy equipment training and Commercial Driver Training. In 1991 he established the ODOT Training Academy, and he has served as the Oregon Department of Transportation Operations Branch Safety Manager, the ODOT Safety Training Manager, and the Health and Safety Manager for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Gene has received two “Certificates of Commendation” from the Oregon State Police, a “Distinguished Service Award from “Keep Oregon Green Association” and a “Good Samaritan Life Saving Award” from Emergency Medical Planners of America and Marion County. He is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers and holds degrees in Fire Science and Advanced Health and Safety. 

Judge Steven Todd

Judge Steven Todd of the Multnomah County Circuit Court handles criminal matters (including DUII), probation violations, landlord tenant and small claims, and traffic violations. He is a believer in driver education and traffic safety classes and is known for his innovative solutions in the courtroom. For several years, he has served on a community traffic safety coalition organized by the city of Portland, and has taught classes on traffic court and DUII laws to new Circuit Court Judges. Judge Todd also volunteers in a class designed for new drivers and their parents, organized by the Trauma Nurses Talk Tough program at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. An active public speaker, he has spoken at conferences for the Alliance for Community Traffic Safety (ACTS), Oregon Traffic Safety commission, traffic engineers, municipal and justice court judges, and neighborhood groups. 

Bryan Vila

Bryan Vila, Ph.D., is a professor of criminal justice at Washington State University (WSU) and a principal investigator in WSU’s Sleep and Performance Research Center. Prior to joining WSU, he directed Crime Control and Prevention Research for the U.S. Department of Justice for three years. Before he became an academic, Dr. Vila served as a law enforcement officer for 17 years – including nine years as a street cop and supervisor with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, six years as a police chief helping the emerging nations of Micronesia develop innovative law enforcement strategies, and two years in Washington, D.C., as a federal law enforcement officer. He has published three books (Tired Cops: The Importance of Managing Police Fatigue; The Role of Police in American Society, and Capital Punishment in the United States) and several dozen research articles.

David L. White

David L. White has 40+ years of transportation safety experience specializing in highway maintenance and construction activities and work zone traffic control issues. His skills include the development and presentation of a variety of safety programs. He is the founder of D&D Safety Consultants and a certified Master Traffic Control Supervisor Trainer in Oregon and Washington, as well as a certified Defensive Driving Instructor. Since 1972, he has instructed and lectured at various seminars and conferences in Oregon, the U.S. and Canada, and is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers and the American Traffic Safety Services Association. He is considered to be the state wide expert in temporary traffic control regulations.

Brian B. Williams

Brian B. Williams has been a lawyer since 1996 and is licensed to handle cases in the state and federal courts of Oregon and Washington. Williams is a partner at Hitt Hiller Monfils Williams LLP, which is a firm of six lawyers that focus on civil litigation. His clients include trucking companies of all sizes, insurance companies, and a national grocery chain. A large portion of his practice involves handling transportation claims. He completed law school at the University of Oregon and graduated Order of the Coif, finishing in the top 10% of his law school class.