Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting - 28

2010 Annual Meeting
LEADERSHIP APTA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
Steve Chang, director of contract administration, Access Services Inc., Los Angeles, CA Ronald Downing, director of planning, Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District, San Rafael, CA Jeffrey D. Ensor, consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Washington, DC Inez Evans, director of MetroAccess Paratransit, StarTran Inc., Austin, TX Joshua Jeremiah Goldman, director of business development, Proterra LLC, Golden, CO Paul Grether, manager, regional coordination, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, GA Albert Himes, director of planning and development, Alexandria Transit Company, Alexandria, VA Debra Hughes, human resources manager, Ben Franklin Transit, Richland, WA Meg Kester, marketing and communications manager, Intercity Transit, Olympia, WA Veronica B. Marks, vice president, corporate communications and administration, RTI Inc. (A DRI Company), Dallas, TX Angela K. Miller, chief technology and sustainability officer, North County Transit District, Oceanside, CA Scott R. Miller, senior transit planner, HDR ENGINEERING INC., Phoenix, AZ Thomas Noll, director, technical support and capital programs, Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PA Elizabeth Louise Presutti, chief development officer, Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority, Des Moines, IA Naomi Renek, assistant director, grant management, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York, NY Elliott Rivas, superintendent, bus maintenance, San Mateo County Transit District, San Carlos, CA Ramond A. Robinson, transportation planner, Charlotte Area Transit System, Charlotte, NC Peter Rogness, director, budget and financial planning, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA Patricia Soto, administrative director, Office of the CEO, Los Angeles Metro, Los Angeles, CA Brian Tynan, senior legislative representative, APTA Christin Wegener, chief, Fairfax Connector Section, Fairfax County DOT, Fairfax, VA The committee also selected the following three alternates: First alternate: Gregg A. Moser, partner, Krauthamer & Associates Inc., Chevy Chase, MD Second alternate: Richard Weldon, construction manager, URS Corporation, Denver, CO Third alternate: Laynee Jones, environmental and planning project manager, H.W. Lochner Inc., Salt Lake City, UT

FORT WORTH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20
celebrate his birthday. Walker is also excited about the monthly regional transit pass awarded by The T its 16 qualifying storytellers. She will use it to teach her children to ride the Trinity Railway Express commuter train that The T co-owns with DART. Educating her children about transit benefits is one of the major reasons Walker said she chooses to remain carless. “Both of my children are being raised without a vehicle, and only take the bus,” she wrote in her winning entry. “It teaches them responsibility by managing their time (making the bus stop on time), environmental awareness, reading a map, and knowing directions.” In a follow-up interview, Walker elaborated: “My children love the bus. We sit at the bus stop and, once they see it coming, they stand up and shout. In my kitchen I have a poster of the system map and all the bus schedules all around to help teach them.” As for herself, Walker said she found the cost savings were greater than she expected. In her story she wrote: “The T takes out the expenses of gas, repairs, registration, inspection, and insurance.” It also offers lifestyle benefits: “I get plenty of exercise by walking to and from bus stops and it is good on the environment.” She told The T that her family enjoys discovering new places by trying out different bus routes. Doing errands via transit is no problem either, she noted: “My husband and I are avid sales shoppers, so we go to many different grocery stores and every single one is right off the bus line.” In her story, Walker said many people ask her why she doesn’t just buy a car. She often tells them “that they—at least once in their life—need to jump on the bus and experience it for themselves. After years of taking the bus, you create bonds with the bus drivers and the fellow riders, so it also creates another sense of community. All things culminated, it is a smart choice.”

KEARSE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22
launch into a career of transportation planning and engineering, further developing this expertise. My background in mechanical engineering will prove extremely complementary, affording me a valuable understanding of the underlying technology and electromechanical systems, which should in turn facilitate the incorporation of innovative technological solutions into my work. Additionally, I would like continue working on multi-faceted projects such as the MMPT, which provide a unique arena in which transportation and landuse efforts are melded for increased effectiveness, and at some point I intend to work internationally, in order to bring back best practices from abroad to implement domestically. Along the way, I will also hone my skills in management and administration, enabling me to have an even broader impact in the realm of public transportation as I move into decision-making roles. Ultimately, I aim to work at the intersection of engineering, planning, business, and government: leading public-private partnerships to plan, develop, and operate a nationwide rail network, and encouraging more sustainable land use to achieving my overarching vision of a country transformed by transportation into a healthier, happier, and more sustainable community.

APTA Thanks its Telling Our Story Sponsors
APTA’s Telling Our Story initiative culminated on September 22, 2010, as the public transportation industry delivered its stories and national petition to Congress with a special event in Washington, DC. The event was a success because of the support of these sponsors:

tt

t

28 | Passenger Transport
Passenger Transport 2010 APTA Annual Meeting

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