WTSC Director, WSP Captain Awarded Prestigious Safety Award

Each year, the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) selects individuals from across the country for their leadership in combating drunk and underage drinking. This year, Washington State Patrol (WSP) Captain and Washington State Director of Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) Darrin Grondel has been selected as a recipient of the 2016 Kevin E. Quinlan Award for Excellence in Traffic Safety.

According to Responsibility.org, the award honors Kevin E. Quinlan. Over his twenty-year tenure at the National Transportation Safety Board, Quinlan proved himself as a traffic safety pioneer, promoter of state action on reducing fatalities, a mentor to safety advocates, and a true inspiration.

I am proud of Captain Grondel’s consummate commitment to excellence” says WSP Chief John R. Batiste. “Captain Grondel’s desire to serve and his drive to do good for the people in their communities is an inspiration to us all.”

As WTSC Director, Grondel provides statewide leadership in all aspects of traffic safety, with a heavy emphasis on human behavioral issues that impact traffic safety. Director Grondel is also an active member with the Governors Highway Safety Association serving as Secretary on the Executive Board and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators where he serves as the Chair of the Law Enforcement Standing Committee and Chair of the Region IV Law Enforcement Committee.

Director Grondel will travel to Washington DC in November to accept this award and hear a safety message on the dangers of drug-impaired driving from basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal.

For more information on the event and Responsibility.org, please click here.

Prior to his role as the WTSC Director, Grondel served 20 years with the Washington State Patrol rising through the ranks to Captain.

On March 1, 2012, Governor Christine Gregoire appointed Darrin as Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and was re-appointed by current Governor Jay Inslee the following year.

Director Grondel has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University, a Master’s in Public Administration from The Evergreen State College, and recently completed his Doctorate in Organizational Leadership with Brandman University. He is also a graduate of Northwestern University – School of Police Staff and Command.