Mass_Transit_September/-October_2019 - 24

Erin Fiorini

General Manager,
Infrastructure
Capital Finance
Chicago Transit
Authority (CTA)

ERIN FIORINI BEGAN HER CAREER AT
the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in
2005 as an executive administrative assistant and has since moved up the ranks
to where she now serves as the general
manager of infrastructure capital finance
for the CTA's Infrastructure Department.
She oversees the five-year, $3 billion
capital budget, which encompasses the
CTA's major improvements to bus and
rail infrastructure. She also manages the
CTA's Program Management consultant
and web-based project management system contract, provides reports and updates to external funding agencies, and
works with various CTA departments
and external parties to develop future
capital projects and programs.
She has been a driving force behind
many innovative practices utilized by
CTA. As one example, the Infrastructure
Department is in the process of transitioning from a paper invoicing process
for contractors to an electronic process
under her leadership.
She's currently leading the CTA's efforts to revamp web-based project management processes to incorporate lessons
learned and industry best practices. De-

Fact:
Fiorini never
imagined
she'd manage
large budgets
as both her
undergraduate
and graduate
degrees are in
English literature
and writing.
MassTransitmag.
com/21093539

spite predictable pushback that comes
with new process implementation, she
works hard to ensure everyone's voice is
heard, new processes are rolled out effectively and adequate training is provided.
She's also migrating the series of
spreadsheets and databases that served
as the agency's cost management system
directly into the web-based project management system as a way to seamlessly
integrate cost controls into projects.
This required research and some software customization, but she's invested
the time to make sure CTA is able to
effectively manage construction project
costs. Her efforts to modernize the processes are critical to ensuring the success
of current and future CTA projects.
Co-workers report she takes the time
to know where in the process every project is at and provide advice to newer
project managers.

"The

most challenging part of my job is making sure we
can build projects with the funding we have. Public agencies
have to make their resources stretch and part of my job is
to make sure we spend money where the need is so we can
continue to make improvements to our transit system."

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Mass_Transit_September/-October_2019

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