A pair of NJC faculty members—Indiana Senior Judge Earl G. Penrod
and California Superior Court Judge Richard A. Vlavianos—have received
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Lifesaver’s
Public Service Safety Award.
The award recognizes dedication to achieve the safety of all passengers on our roadways. The awards were presented to 13 individuals at the annual Lifesaver’s conference, March 26-28, 2017, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Penrod received the award for his teaching on impaired-driving issues and strategies to reduce DWI offender recidivism and impaired-driving crashes. He joined the NJC faculty in 2003 and has since taught more than 30 courses, specializing in impaired driving and NHTSA courses. Penrod became a senior judge in Indiana in 2016 after serving 34 years with the Gibson County Superior Court.
Vlavianos, a San Joaquin County (California) Superior Court judge, received the award for the success of the San Joaquin County DUI Court, which he implemented in 2012. The court reduced the number of DUI repeat offenders by one-third. Vlavianos joined the College’s faculty in 2004 and has since taught in nearly 20 courses.

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