Dearborn County Council Member and Highway Engineer Receive Statewide Awards

The awards were given at the Association of Indiana Counties (AIC) 67th Annual Conference.

Liz Morris and Todd Listerman (middle). Photo provided.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Dearborn County's star shined bright at the Association of Indiana Counties (AIC) 67^th Annual Conference in Orange County. 

Todd Listerman, the county's Highway Engineer, and Council Member Liz Morris were both recognized with statewide awards. 

Listerman received the 2025 Outstanding Highway Engineer Award, which recognizes his contributions to county government throughout his years of public service. 

Morris received the 2025 Outstanding County Council Member Award. The award recognized her contributions to county government throughout her years of public service.

Listerman just celebrated his 20th year anniversary as the Dearborn County Engineer. Prior to coming to Dearborn County, he spent 19 years with INDOT with his last 10 years there as the Seymour District Construction Engineer.

Since becoming the Dearborn County Engineer, the county has been awarded $38,000,000 in Federal and State funds to improve Dearborn County roads and bridges.

Under Listerman’s leadership, Dearborn County has replaced 27 bridges and rehabbed 16 additional bridges including 3 Historic Iron Trusses. One being the Triple Whipple Bridge over Laughery Creek Bridge which is the only remaining bridge utilizing a triple intersection Pratt. While Listerman has been engineer, the county has had seven major road reconstruction projects including the complete reconstruction and widening of Stateline Road in Bright. Listerman established a county road line striping program to annually restripe all county roads with an average daily traffic count of 1000 vehicles a day or more to improve highway safety.

He has conducted engineering/speed studies on all county roads to ensure that all county roads have the proper speed limit posted and conducted curve speed studies on all county roads to ensure all curves are properly marked with advisory signs.

Morris has served on the Dearborn County Council since 2006, currently holding the position of President, where her leadership has been instrumental in guiding the county through fiscal challenges and important infrastructure projects. Her service extends beyond the county, as she is the President of the Southeast District of the Association of Indiana Counties, where she collaborates with fellow county leaders to promote effective governance and improve services across the region and state.

Throughout her career, Morris has been deeply involved in key projects that shape the future of Dearborn County, including:

• Jail Expansion – ensuring public safety infrastructure meets community needs
• Courthouse Addition – securing access to justice while planning for growth
• EMS LIT Committee – supporting critical emergency medical services
• ARPA Funding Oversight – managing federal /state funds to maximize their benefit to the community

In addition to her public service roles, Liz is the founder of the Bright Beacon Newspaper and a member of the Bright Lion’s Club, where she continues to engage in community service. Her work was formally recognized in 2009 when she received the Dearborn County Women of Distinction Award.