Lester A. Hoel is the L.A. Lacy Distinguished Professor, Emeritus at the University of Virginia.He was born in Brooklyn, New York the son of Norwegian immigrants. Educated in the New York City public school system, Dr. Hoel earned a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the City College of N.Y. (CCNY), a Masters in civil engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, and Doctorate in engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Hoel has held teaching positions at San Diego State University, Carnegie-Mellon University, and the University of Virginia where he served as civil engineering department chair and Director of The Center for Transportation Studies. He is an author of technical publications and three textbooks in transportation engineering, planning and urban transportation. He has received numerous national honors and awards and is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who In Science and Engineering. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Lester is married to Unni. They have three daughters: Julie, Sonja and Lisa, and four grandchildren, Tyler, Emma, Jordan and Tess.