A message from the Vice Chancellor for Research.
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Laura Sandt and Caroline Mozingo have been appointed permanent co-directors of the Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC). They have served as interim co-directors of the center for the past two years, establishing this effective and successful shared leadership model.
To their new roles, Sandt and Mozingo bring a combined 33 years of experience in overseeing and driving success in HSRC research, outreach, and operations. This leadership has resulted in growth of the center’s $7 million in annual research activity, resulting in more robust road safety research and education in North Carolina. The impact of this work often extends nationally and globally, supporting new policies that make transportation safer everywhere. Thanks to the efforts of the researchers, students, and staff of the HSRC — the only transportation center in the country focused solely on highway safety — being on the road today is much safer than it was when the center was founded more than 50 years ago.
As the leaders of HSRC, Sandt and Mozingo will equally share oversight and managerial responsibility, including activities related to fiscal management, human resources, strategic planning, and coordination with University leadership. Other areas will be divided, with Sandt overseeing research strategy and implementation, and Mozingo overseeing strategic communications, partnerships, and operations.
Sandt joined HSRC in 2004 and has served as the center’s co-director for the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center and director for the Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety, a National University Transportation Center funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation. She holds a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, with a concentration in injury prevention, and a master’s in regional planning, also from Carolina, with a concentration in transportation and land use.
Before serving as interim co-director, Mozingo served as the HSRC’s interim deputy director and senior manager of communications, education, and outreach. She has led HSRC’s internal and external communications, strategic development, and education efforts. Previously, Caroline was the communications and marketing manager for the National Center for Safe Routes to School, housed within HSRC. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
Please join me in welcoming Caroline and Laura to these important roles.