December 30, 2024
John Coscia, DVRPC’s former Executive Director, passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2024. Mr. Coscia started at DVRPC as an environmental engineer in 1968 and became one of only five Executive Directors in DVRPC’s nearly 60 year history. He was also our longest-serving Executive Director, to date, with a tenure spanning over 25 years, from 1980-2006. Mr. Coscia oversaw the adoption of the Year 2000 Transportation Plan long-range plan in 1982, and his time as Executive Director extended through the horizon year of that plan. He also understood the importance of lifting up the next generation of planners, teaching several courses in collegiate planning programs.
When announcing his retirement at the December 2005 DVRPC Board meeting, Mr. Coscia remarked, “It has been an honor and privilege to serve as DVRPC’s Executive Director. The work of the Commission is absolutely critical to the quality of life of six million residents in this region, and I truly appreciate the opportunity that was given to me to assist the Board members in completing this work.”
Barry Seymour noted, “I was thrilled to be hired at DVRPC by John Coscia in 1990, and honored to succeed him as Executive Director in 2006. John was a generous boss, enabling staff to innovate, lead, and do their best work, and gracious in his retirement as he turned over the reins. He cared deeply for the organization and the staff, and created a supportive culture that I was lucky to inherit and worked hard to maintain. We all owe a huge debt and a heartfelt thanks to our friend John Coscia.”
For more information on Mr. Coscia’s life, view his obituary.