Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting - 36

2010 APTA Awards

Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member
An individual serving on the governing board of a public transportation system who has made outstanding contributions to the public transportation industry.

Flora M. Castillo
Member, NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors Newark, NJ
Flora M. Castillo was first appointed to the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors in 1999, after her civic work captured the attention of then-Governor Christine Todd Whitman—making her the first Latina and the youngest member to serve on the board. She currently chairs the board’s Customer Service and Administration Committees, overseeing an annual budget of nearly $3 billion and 11,000 employees. During her tenure, Flora has worked diligently to increase seating capacity and provide cleaner trains and buses, new equipment, and enhanced customer amenities. She has overseen the startup of a number of key transportation projects, including the opening of the River Line. Most recently, she has supported construction of the Pennsauken Transit Center, which will offer convenience and new travel options to South Jersey rail customers. As chair of the Administration Committee, Flora reviews the corporation’s operating budget, capital program, and company policies. Under her direction, NJ TRANSIT developed a five-year Information Technology Business Plan to ensure appropriate investments in technology, including improvements in customer communications. In her role as chair of the Customer Service Committee, Flora plays a vital role in initiating programs designed to reach minority riders, the corporation’s largest group of customers. She initiated the development of an innovative public service campaign to provoke discussion about customer courtesy issues and improve the on-board experience, and she inspired innovative and strategic marketing campaigns to generate ridership for NJ TRANSIT’s River Line and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail systems, including bilingual promotional and educational materials. Flora also launched the corporation’s first-ever Transit Academy Workforce Awareness and Readiness Program to expose high school students and young adults to career opportunities in the transportation industry and help them acquire the skills to secure these jobs. At NJ TRANSIT, Flora’s push led the executive director to create a chief of diversity position—now elevated to vice president of diversity and a direct report to the executive director. As APTA’s Vice Chair of Transit Board Members, Flora has helped to increase board members’ participation in APTA committees and initiated activities to enhance professional development. Additionally, she has served on the APTA Executive Committee for three years. Flora’s commitment to transit riders, her dedication to public transportation employees and her invaluable contributions to both NJ TRANSIT and APTA make her a fitting recipient of the Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member award.

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t is a privilege to contribute to NJ TRANSIT in the name of our customers and employees, and I am honored to be recognized by APTA for my service as a member of the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors. I appreciate APTA’s commitment to advancing public transportation around the nation and strengthening awareness of its vital importance to our mobility and economy.

— Flora M. Castillo

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As a member of the Board of Directors, Flora Castillo has been a tireless advocate for NJ TRANSIT customers, and we are fortunate to benefit from her service. Her contributions are of great value to the board as we address the needs of our riders and our state’s public transportation system. — Jim Simpson New Jersey Transportation Commissioner and NJ TraNSiT Board Chairman

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Local Distinguished Service
For significant contributions at the local level to public transportation through policy, legislative initiative, and leadership.

Mufi F. Hannemann
Mayor, Honolulu, HI (January 2005–July 2010)
Mufi F. Hannemann, mayor of the City and County of Honolulu from January 2005 to July 2010, exemplifies distinguished service to the public transportation industry at the local level. He has demonstrated outstanding leadership in developing, enabling, and supporting the culture of public transportation for Honolulu and the island of Oahu. Rail transit was proposed for Honolulu in the late 1960s. Several unsuccessful attempts to implement rail followed. Under Hannemann’s leadership as mayor, however, the city is now poised to break ground on a 20-mile elevated rail system that will better connect the growing population on the west side of the island with the employment centers in Honolulu. The journey began in 2005 when, as mayor, he worked with the state legislature to implement a state law that allowed Honolulu County to levy a ½-percent surcharge on the general excise tax that would be dedicated for transportation uses. Revenue collected from the surcharge totals more than $500 million to date and is meant to match Federal Transit Administration (FTA) New Starts grant support. The mayor and his administration worked with Hawaii’s congressional delegation, other members of Congress, and FTA to ensure that Honolulu received federal funding to complement the city’s resources. The FTA is expected to provide $1.55 billion in federal funds of which Congress has appropriated $65 million for the rail project thus far. At the local level, he brought together a coalition of community groups, business, labor, and the media who understands the benefits rail will bring. The mayor also kicked off the largest public information program in city history. Since 2005, the city has conducted hundreds of community updates, workshops, informational briefings, and presentations. He understands the vital role bus transit plays in Oahu. The city’s bus system, TheBus, has the fourth highest ridership per capita in the United States and is complemented by TheHandi-Van, which serves persons with disabilities. Despite the financial challenges facing the local and state governments in Hawaii, the city increased its funding commitment to TheBus. About 100 new buses were purchased during his tenure (including articulated and hybrid buses). In addition, a paratransit facility was built near the entrance to downtown. He remains highly committed to building intermodal transit centers around Oahu. This integration of transit in the community—both allowing and encouraging mobility and independence—continues becoming a reality with the completion of new facilities in central Oahu. Further, ground has been broken for three new transit centers across Oahu as well. It is not enough to comprehend the critical importance that public transportation brings to a community. There must be leadership to make freedom of movement possible. Mayor Hannemann epitomizes that kind of leadership.

he Local Distinguished Service Award is truly an honor because it brings national attention to Honolulu’s public transit system—one of the civic jewels in America. Championing public transportation was the easiest decision I ever made as Mayor of Honolulu because transit is essential to a vibrant city. It supports the economy by getting people to work, improves access to education, and protects our environment. — Mufi F. Hannemann

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Mufi Hannemann is an outstanding choice for this award. I have personally witnessed how hard he worked in Honolulu and in Washington, DC, to secure funding and support for transit initiatives. Under his leadership, Honolulu’s rail project advanced from the drawing board to the premier transit project in the country. — U.S. rep. James l. Oberstar 8 th District, Minnesota

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Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting
