Michelle Pourciau

A Look at the CWWMN Awards

An accomplished transportation executive and public servant, Michelle Pourciau most recently served as the director of the Baltimore Department of Transportation. Michelle Pourciau also maintains membership with organizations such as the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), which honored her as a Woman Who Moves the Nation.

Since its inception in 1971, the COMTO has advanced opportunities and participation of minorities in the transportation sector. In addition to providing a forum for minority professionals, the organization offers leadership training, professional development, advocacy, and scholarship programs.

The COMTO’s Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation (CWWMN) awards complement the organization’s goals by recognizing accomplishments of women in the transportation industry. The awards, which were first distributed in 2012, are held every March in Washington, DC. To date, more than 75 women have been recognized by the CWWMN awards for their roles as leaders and efforts to advance America’s transportation industry.

For additional information on the CWWMN awards, visit www.comtonational.org.

A Simple Workout Plan to Maintain Physical Fitness

An executive with extensive experience in transportation and infrastructure, Michelle Pourciau is the former director of the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT). During her time with the DOT, she provided oversight of bridge construction, conduit repairs and replacement, and roadway rehabilitation. When not working, Michelle Pourciau spends time working out to keep herself physically fit.

As a person ages, chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart diseases may begin to appear. To help ease the symptoms of these disorders and diseases, doctors recommend implementing a simple workout regimen that includes the following techniques.

Stretching–This helps maintain the range of motion of the joints and the flexibility of the muscles. Stretching builds core body strength and increases the body’s stability and also reduces the risk of muscle soreness and certain types of injury. Yoga and Pilates both incorporate many stretching exercises into their workouts.

Aerobic exercise–Good for the muscles, aerobic exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and helps maintain weight. Some of the simplest forms of aerobic exercise include walking, jogging, dancing, and swimming. Adults should get aerobic exercise three times a week for at least 20 minutes.

Strength training–This helps strengthen and tone the muscles, maintain posture, improve bone strength, and reduce the risk of injuries in the lower back. Simple strength training involving lifting hand weights is a good start point.

Baltimore’s Downtown Bike Network Expands Safe Bike Transit

Michelle Pourciau previously served as director of the city of Baltimore’s Department of Transportation from 2017 to 2019. In that position, Michelle Pourciau was in charge of the construction, maintenance, and operation of roads, bridges, and dedicated bike routes. During her tenure, she completed significant bike transport projects including furthering construction of Baltimore’s Downtown Bike Network.

The 10-mile Downtown Bike Network comprises a network of interconnected bike lanes from which bikers can access neighborhoods in the city. The bicycle routes are designed to be safe for all riders, including children, and are part of a long term plan to make the transport option convenient to a majority of the city’s residents.

The project includes a separated two-way bicycle lane on Maryland Avenue and Monument and Centre streets. It also comprises lanes on East and West Preston Street, Biddle Street, and Madison Street, as well as Druid Hill Avenue.

The project was designed in 2012. It was awarded a grant in 2014, following which construction work began. The first lanes on Maryland Avenue and Preston and Biddle streets were completed in 2015 and 2016. Construction was temporarily halted in 2017, and resumed in the fall of 2018.