BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1 - (Page 46)

Tech Trends Private Calling Meets Public Service A practicing professional brings an engineer’s perspective to transit authority’s Board of Directors t was something I have always wanted to do,” said Trafﬁc Planning and Design President Kevin Johnson, P.E. “I feel that people in the community don’t get involved enough. We seem to shy away from public service.” Johnson is discussing his recent appointment to the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Board of Directors, the largely invisible but politically powerful governing body of the nation’s ﬁfth largest transit system. The community he refers to is his fellow professional engineers, a group that is underrepresented on public authority boards. SEPTA board members, “I This is not necessarily bad, but it is ironic and most unfortunate that engineering expertise is not more routinely applied to the governance of much of the country’s most critical infrastructure. As Johnson pointed out, “I’m bringing a different perspective. Public-sector boards are traditionally made up heavily of business people, but engineers are rare. The more diverse a board is, the better that board will be. I have the business background so I know what it means to manage and grow a business that is dependent on customers. I can also apply my engineering perspective to the trafﬁc and land-use issues that SEPTA constantly confronts.” like other boards at this level, are political appointees and tend to draw from the same pool as politics, which means lots of lawyers—there are at least eight on SEPTA’s 15-member board— and a sprinkling of business people and elected ofﬁcials. In fact, Johnson’s experience appears to suit him perfectly for his work on the board. He launched Pottstown, Pa.-based Trafﬁc Planning and Design, Inc. in 1989 with just six employees and has built it up into a 135-person ﬁrm with four ofﬁces. Trafﬁc Planning 46 Be Magazine | Volume 6 Issue 1

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1

BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1 Contents Anticipation’s Name Is V8i Be Awards of Excellence Kicks Off Competition Bentley Launches the Most Comprehensive SoftwarePortfolio for Infrastructure Ever Assembled in a Single Release MicroStation V8i Up Close & Personal Is Water the New Oil? How Does Intent Become Reality? Does Performance Create Sustainability? Renewing Confidence in Public Highway Infrastructure Enterprisewide System Manages International Airport Standardized CAD/GIS Platform Streamlines Infrastructure Engineering 3D Modeling Refines Reusable Design for Plant Prototype Lean Teams Deliver Automotive Assembly Plants Through Innovative Use of BIM Integrated 3DModels Enable Compact and Safe Plant Design Sustainable Development Supports Thriving Community Terminal Pumps Natural Gas Through Longest Subsea Pipeline Large UtilityWorks To Reduce SO2 Emissions Aging Power Station Boosts Engineering Productivity Hydropower Dam To Fuel Growing Economy Collaboration Tools Accelerate Chinese Railway Electrification System Design Rapid Rail Link To Meet Socio-Economic Development Goals High-CapacityWastewater Treatment Facility ReclaimsWater Resources City ExpandsWater SupplyWithout Deploying AdditionalWater Resources Private Calling Meets Public Service Learning Paths Map Skill Development for Infrastructure Professionals A Contemporary Approach to Site Design The Art of Visualization Special Feature: Be Communities Physical + Digital Investments = Intelligent Infrastructure

BE Magazine - Volume 6, Issue 1

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