Staff Profile - Nevin Q. Sams

Staff Profile - Nevin Q. Sams

Nevin Sams has recently joined our firm after retiring from a 23-year career with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Nevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering earned at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He is a registered Civil and Traffic Engineer, and a certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer.

For over half his career with Caltrans, Nevin served as the "District Traffic Safety Engineer" and was responsible for implementing the state’s safety program on state highways in five counties in central California. Nevin explains that "the district Traffic Safety Engineer is a unique position in Caltrans; it requires the practice of traffic engineering with an emphasis on addressing safety issues." In this capacity, Mr. Sams office performed over 300 traffic safety investigations per year and installed myriad traffic control devices in response to critical safety issues.

Some of the State safety programs Nevin was responsible for implementing include the Median Barrier Monitoring System, the Two and Three Lane Monitoring System and the Run off the Road Program. In addition to his work implementing the safety program, Nevin has experience as a project designer, project manager and design senior engineer for many traffic safety improvement projects.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Sams places a high priority on promoting traffic safety education. In 1992, he joined the Caltrans safety training effort and was instrumental in developing the State’s Traffic Safety Academy, the premiere traffic safety training venue for State employees. He served as the chair for the Traffic Safety Training Committee (the organizational vehicle behind the Academy) and as Academy moderator, course developer and instructor. Nevin says "the training effort was one of the most rewarding activities in my professional career. I felt like we were getting information out there that would really make a difference for improved safety on state highways."

Nevin has received statewide recognition for his efforts in traffic safety over the years. Caltrans and local agencies at the County and City levels, as well as the California Highway Patrol, have formally acknowledged his efforts with certificates of appreciation. Most notably, in 1998, Mr. Sams’ office received the National Safety Award for a soft barrier project on Route 46 in San Luis Obispo County and, in 2005, he personally received the State’s prestigious Karl Moskowitz award for "Outstanding Engineering in Transportation." (see "Who is Karl Moskowitz?")

Nevin says "I’m enjoying my work at Boster Kobayashi. The cases are varied and interesting. I feel privileged to be working with such dedicated and conscientious professionals." For recreation, he has a passion for classical music and enjoys playing the guitar, piano, and synthesizer. His favorite outdoor activities are tennis and cycling.