The White House named the commission’s executive director, James R. McCarville, 67, one of 12 Transportation Champions of Change nationally.

“Clearly, the reason I was honored was the work of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission and its Wireless Waterway Committee, which was … thousands of hours of volunteer service that they put into it,” said McCarville, a Ross resident, who was recognized during a ceremony at the White House.

About a decade ago, the commission partnered with Carnegie Mellon University students to develop a computerized virtual locking system, he said. Called SmartLock, it aids vessels entering a lock chamber in low-visibility conditions, McCarville said.