Ed Sniffen on the Past, Present, and Future of Transportation

Hawaii DOT's Deputy Director for Highways talks comms and doing right by the public.

I’ve known Ed for almost 6 years at this point, and although we haven’t seen one another in a few, it was great to connect via phone a few months ago.

Ed has spent his career in transportation working for the betterment of all Hawaiians and he and his team have worked to try to set an example for all transportation professionals to follow. It should be obvious, but public servants should listen to the public, and really listen. I’ll attest to how seriously Director Sniffen takes this aspect of his job.

Below is our conversation, lightly edited for clarity and concision. His role as a Director gives him a unique perspective on how to organize good ideas around an elected official’s mindset, and how we need to communicate better and, like I’ve said before, how we also need to really listen to people we work for.