October 19, 2026 — Dr. Steve Dellenback, vice president of the Intelligent Systems Division at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), has been selected to receive the ITS World Congress Hall of Fame’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dellenback received the award Oct. 19 during the 32nd ITS World Congress meeting held in Gangneung, Korea. The ITS World Congress is an annual conference that promotes intelligent transportation systems (ITS) related to traffic management, advanced mobility and transportation networks across the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
“It is an incredible honor to be recognized for a lifetime of work in the ITS field,” Dellenback said. “I absolutely see this as recognition of the Institute and the talented staff who help develop and manage ITS software for the traveling public.”
The ITS World Congress Hall of Fame was created in 2010 to recognize luminaries and thought leaders. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual recognized as outstanding leader within a respective organization, a thought leader in the ITS field and a champion of the vision of ITS.
Dellenback was instrumental in the founding of SwRI’s ITS program in 1993 when the Institute began supporting the Texas Department of Transportation’s traffic management center with ITS software. Under Dellenback’s leadership, SwRI has grown into an internationally recognized developer of ITS software. The SwRI-developed ActiveITS™ platform has been deployed by 15 state agencies across the United States — more than any other transportation management system in the U.S. SwRI’s ITS platforms provide a standard across the ITS industry, allowing agencies to share in the development of innovative functionality.
SwRI developed the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Data Exchange Platform for Operational Technologies (DEPOT), which was recently extended to other states to benefit from real-time data sharing for improved safety, mobility and efficiency. As a developer of automated driving systems, SwRI also integrates vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology into various ITS and safety-mobility applications. SwRI also develops sensing technologies as well as automated vehicles for both on-road and off-road applications.
“By working on so many different projects in the transportation and mobility space, we get to help government and industry integrate new technology into systems that benefit the public,” said Dellenback. He also serves on various boards, providing an experienced voice to discussions about technology integration to support government and industry planning.
Dellenback serves as the International Program Chair for ITS America and is a member of the World Congress Board of Directors. He was appointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee where he served as the AI Subcommittee chair from 2024 to 2025. He previously served on the ITS America Board of Directors for seven years.
Dellenback has over 40 years of experience in systems integration, operating systems, artificial intelligence, programming languages and project management. He earned a bachelor arts in computer science from the University of Texas and master’s and doctorate degrees in computer science from the University of Kansas.
ITS software and systems are among the many focused research and development areas in the Intelligent Systems Division. Dellenback leads approximately 250 engineers and analysts developing software, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and robotics and automation solutions for various industries.
For more information, visit Intelligent Transportation Systems or contact Robert Crowe, +1 210 522 4630, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.