Frances Griffith, associate director of the Center for Training Transportation Professionals in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Arkansas, has received the Strategic Advancement Award from the American Concrete Institute.

The award was given in recognition of her "outstanding leadership, vision and tireless efforts in initiating, stewarding and promoting a new educational approach for the Institute in support of the strategic plan and its goals," according the institute's board of direction. Griffith will be honored at the 2017 Concrete Convention and Exposition in March.

"This national award is a great honor for Frances and for the department," said Micah Hale, civil engineering department head. "She has made many contributions to her field, through her work at the university and her service to ACI, and her dedication has definitely benefitted both the university and the industry, not to mention the many students she has mentored and encouraged."

Griffith has been involved with the ACI for more than ten years, starting when she was a civil engineering student at the University of Arkansas. In 2013, she was named an ACI fellow. Her experience with certification has allowed her to make valuable contributions to the organization, as well as to the University of Arkansas through her service on certification program committees.  She currently serves on ACI's board of direction and is chair of the educational activities committee. 

For the last 17 years, she has coordinated concrete field testing certification programs for students in the civil engineering department, enabling these students to develop skills for future research and employment opportunities. She is the first woman to chair a certification committee and receive the institute's Certification Award. Griffith has been a member of the Arkansas Chapter of ACI since 2000, serving on the board and as president in 2008.

At the Center for Training Transportation Professionals, Griffith administers certification classes and certifies employees of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department and contractor personnel to work with concrete and other transportation materials and processes.